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Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has officially identified the landing site for its upcoming Chandrayaan-4 mission, marking a major leap in India’s lunar exploration journey. Expected to launch around 2028, Chandrayaan-4 will be India’s first-ever lunar sample-return mission, making it the country’s most complex Moon mission so far. The Union Government has already approved the mission. Unlike earlier lunar projects, Chandrayaan-4 will not only land on the Moon but also collect lunar soil and rock samples and bring them safely back to Earth — a technically demanding process involving landing, sample collection, lunar lift-off, space docking, and Earth re-entry. This milestone follows the historic success of Chandrayaan-3, launched on 14 July 2023 using ISRO’s heavy-lift LVM3 rocket. On 23 August 2023, India achieved a global first by soft-landing near the Moon’s South Pole, becoming the fourth nation after the USA, Russia, and China to accomplish a soft lunar landing. For Chandrayaan-4, ISRO has selected a landing zone in the Moon’s South Polar region called Mons Mouton. After studying four potential sites — MM-1, MM-3, MM-4, and MM-5 — scientists finalized MM-4 using high-resolution orbital imagery. The chosen area offers minimal hazards, gentle slopes of around 5 degrees, an average elevation of 5,334 metres, and the highest number of safe landing grids, making it ideal for precision touchdown. Chandrayaan-4 will consist of five key modules: * Propulsion Module * Descender Module * Ascender Module * Transfer Module * Re-entry Module During landing, the Descender and Ascender Modules will touch down together. After collecting samples, the Ascender Module will lift off from the Moon, dock in lunar orbit, and transfer samples to the Re-entry Module for their journey back to Earth. While Chandrayaan-3 focused on demonstrating soft landing and rover mobility, Chandrayaan-4 goes much further by attempting a full sample-return cycle — placing India among an elite group of spacefaring nations. This mission will significantly advance India’s capabilities in deep-space navigation, autonomous docking, precision landing, and planetary science, strengthening the country’s position in global space exploration. #Chandrayaan4 #ISRO #MoonMission #SpaceNews #LunarExploration #UPSCCurrentAffairs #ScienceFacts