India has opened the world's eyes to the Moon's south polar "gold rush region". Now Chandrayaan 4 - the first ambitious lunar sample return mission, likely around 2028 -- homes in on same region to land. From Shiv Shakti Point to Mons Mouton Mountain, the Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO is now narrowing down potential landing zones near the Moon's tallest mountain.
India had drawn global attention to the Moon's south polar region nearly two decades ago. Now it could be the landing pad for its most ambitious lunar mission yet -- Chandrayaan 4 - which aims to bring pieces of the Moon back to Earth.
Scientists at ISRO say they have identified a promising cluster of potential landing sites close to Mons Mouton, the Moon's highest mountain and one of the most scientifically intriguing regions near the South Pole.
Using ultra sharp images from the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter, researchers have been quietly mapping hazards, slopes and sunlight conditions to zero in on terrain, which offers both safety and scientific payoff.
The move marks a significant moment in India's long and increasingly influential relationship with the lunar South Pole -- a region now seen globally as the Moon's most valuable real estate because of its ancient geology and the possibility of water ice locked in permanently shadowed craters.
India's Long South Pole Connection
India is the only country to have reached the lunar South Polar region three times. Chandrayaan 1's Moon Impact Probe struck close to the South Pole in 2008, sending back data that would soon change lunar science. Chandrayaan 2 followed in 2019 but crash landed during its final descent. In 2023, Chandrayaan 3 achieved a historic soft landing at Shiv Shakti Point, making India the first nation to land safely so close to the South Pole.
That continuity matters. It also underpins India's quiet but firm scientific claim to the region -- a claim rooted not in geopolitics but in discovery.
It was Chandrayaan 1 that, for the first time, detected clear signatures of water molecules on the Moon's surface. That single finding reshaped global lunar priorities. Since then, American, Chinese, Russian and private missions have all set their sights on the South Pole, hoping to tap water or ice that could one day support human habitats, fuel production and deep space missions.
In many ways, India opened the door to what is now widely described as the south polar gold rush.
Why Mons Mouton Matters
The focus on Mons Mouton is no coincidence. Rising dramatically above the surrounding terrain, the mountain sits in a region that balances competing demands: scientific richness, long periods of sunlight for solar power, and relatively gentle slopes for landing.
ISRO scientists have used high resolution stereo images, sharp enough to spot boulders barely a third of a metre across, to assess multiple candidate sites around the mountain. From these, a handful of kilometre scale zones have emerged as strong contenders, with one area standing out for having fewer hazards, smoother terrain and more consistently sunlit patches. The site being examined closely is called MM1located at about 86 degrees latitude which has the minimum hazards for a robotic soft landing.
For Chandrayaan 4, landing safety is not just about touching down. It is about taking off again.
A Mission Unlike Any India Has Flown Before
Chandrayaan 4 will be India's first mission to collect samples from the Moon and return them to Earth, a feat achieved so far by only a few countries. The spacecraft will land near the South Pole, scoop and drill lunar soil, seal the samples, and then launch an ascent module from the Moon's surface to rendezvous in lunar orbit.
The samples will eventually be brought home inside a re entry capsule, splashing down or landing on Indian soil for detailed laboratory analysis.
This leap builds directly on Chandrayaan 3, which proved that India could land precisely, operate robotic systems on the surface and even perform short "hops" with a lander. Chandrayaan 4 adds entirely new layers of complexity -- lunar lift off, docking in orbit, contamination free sample handling and a controlled return through Earth's atmosphere.
ISRO plans to launch the mission using two heavy lift Launch Vehicle Mark 3 or LVM3 rockets, assembling the spacecraft in Earth orbit before sending it onward to the Moon.
Why Samples Matter
Lunar samples tell stories that orbiters and surface instruments cannot. The Apollo and Soviet Luna missions returned material decades ago, but mostly from geologically similar regions. China's Chang'e 5 mission filled one important gap by bringing back younger volcanic material.
The South Pole represents something different: ancient, largely untouched lunar crust, potentially mixed with volatiles preserved for billions of years. Studying such samples could help scientists reconstruct how the Moon formed, how it cooled, and how water and other elements moved across its surface over time.
Once on Earth, the samples will be examined not just with today's instruments, but with technologies yet to be invented, ensuring their scientific value lasts for generations.
Setting Stage For The future
Chandrayaan 4 is expected to fly around 2028, and ISRO is already looking beyond it. Follow on missions, including Chandrayaan 5 in collaboration with Japan, are expected to deepen India's presence in the same south polar neighbourhood.
The Indo-Japanese mission -- often called LUPEX -- will also target to land in the South Polar Region but hopefully closer to the South Pole itself and look directly for water ice.
Together, these missions will also serve a larger goal: preparing India for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. The technologies being tested, autonomous docking, precision navigation, safe re entry, are essential stepping stones toward one day landing Indian astronauts, or Gaganyatris, on the Moon and bringing them back safely hopefully by 2040.
Nearly twenty years after Chandrayaan 1 changed how the world looks at the Moon, India is once again shaping the next phase of lunar exploration. This time, it is not just opening eyes, it is choosing where to dig.
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/mKsZ5BR
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