- The Space Commission approved LUPEX as a joint mission of India-Japan focusing on lunar exploration, especially the moon’s polar regions.
- ISRO is creating a specialized lunar lander for LUPEX, distinct from the one used in Chandrayaan-3, with future crewed mission potential.
- LUPEX will involve landing near Chandrayaan-3’s location and exploring lunar soil and rock, aiming to further India’s moon exploration capabilities.
LEAP-3
- LEAP-3 (Launching Expeditions for Aspiring Payloads) will carry payloads for various companies.
- Manastu Space and Dhruva Space will collaborate, using green propulsion technology for LEAP-3, scheduled for 2025.
- Manastu Space is developing hydrogen-peroxide-based fuel, offering eco-friendly solutions for the mission’s propulsion needs.
Proba-3
- Proba-3, a European mission, will study the Sun’s corona through precise satellite formation.
- In this mission, one satellite will block the Sun’s core, creating an eclipse effect to capture corona images.
- Scheduled for launch in November, Proba-3 will fly aboard ISRO’s PSLV-XL, marking continued Indo-European collaboration in space science.
Project 200
- Initiated by Bellatrix Aerospace, Project 200 is designed to operate in ultra-low Earth orbit at 200 km altitude.
- This satellite prototype emphasizes high-altitude performance, contributing to advancements in Earth observation and communications from lower orbital ranges.
| Space-Based Surveillance: The Cabinet Committee on Security approved the third phase of the Space Based Surveillance (SBS) missions. For this, ISRO will build 21 satellites and private companies will build another 31, for ₹26,968 crore in all. This is a significant improvement over the four satellites ISRO built for SBS-1 in 2001 and six for SBS-2 in 2013. |
Dig Deeper: Read about the joint project NISAR.
