Moon rock: Chandrayaan-4 a test for Isro's ambitious manned moon mission

Isro's ambitions have grown along with its successes. Alongside Chandrayaan-4, the Cabinet also cleared a Venus orbital mission, which will be even more challenging

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has an ambitious plan for the Chandrayaan-4 mission, targeted for 2027. The mission, cleared recently by the Cabinet with a tentative budget of Rs 2,104 crore, aims to return lunar samples safely to Earth for study.

It will feature five modules launched on two geosynchronous launch vehicle mark 3 (LVM3) rockets, which will be assembled in space into one composite vehicle. The mission includes a lander, which will detach to collect a few kg of soil and rock samples from the lunar surface and return to Earth while carrying out other