When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Tokyo on August 29 that India and Japan would jointly launch Chandrayaan-5, it marked a new milestone in Asia’s space partnership.
Image credit: X/@narendramodi
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Tokyo on August 29 that India and Japan would jointly launch Chandrayaan-5, it marked a new milestone in Asia’s space partnership. Speaking at the 15th India-Japan Annual Summit, he welcomed the agreement between ISRO and JAXA, declaring that “our cooperation will go beyond Earth and become a symbol of humanity’s progress in space.”
Earlier, in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest newspaper, Modi linked space science directly to human needs—from agriculture to disaster management and communication—underscoring that such collaboration “will not only expand horizons above us but also improve lives around us.” At the heart of this mission lies an impressive division of responsibilities. JAXA’s H3-24L heavy-lift rocket—developed with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries—will launch the spacecraft. Built with cost efficiency, higher payload capacity, and advanced safety features, the H3 series is Japan’s answer to next-generation exploration. Riding aboard it will be an ISRO-made lunar lander, designed to deliver a Japanese rover onto the Moon’s surface. Alongside, the spacecraft will host seven scientific instruments, including a mass spectrometer from ESA and neutron spectrometers from NASA. These tools will study gases, particles, water, ice, and hidden elements in the lunar soil, offering insights into the Moon’s resources.
The objectives are bold and practical. Chandrayaan-5 will map lunar water, drill regolith to test its quality and composition, and conduct on-site studies using sensors. Planned as a 100-day mission, with potential extension to a year, it also aims to explore the Moon’s mysterious far side—the hemisphere forever hidden from Earth due to the Moon’s synchronous rotation. If successful, it would cement India and Japan’s position at the cutting edge of lunar exploration. Yet, this mission unfolds against the backdrop of an intensifying geopolitical space race. China’s Chang’e program is advancing on a parallel timeline, with Chang’e-7 in 2026 and Chang’e-8 in 2028-29 targeting the lunar south pole.
These missions involve innovative technologies like mini-flying probes and 3D printing with lunar soil, all feeding into Beijing’s plan for an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) by the 2030s. With countries from Pakistan to Italy and South Africa participating, China’s ambitions directly compete with the India-Japan collaboration, making Chandrayaan-5 not just a scientific project but a strategic statement. The timing is no accident. India’s space economy is expected to leap from $8.4 billion in 2022 to $44 billion by 2033, forming a vital pillar of the government’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. The 2025-26 budget reflects this ambition, with ₹13,416.2 crore allocated to the Department of Space and a ₹1,000-crore venture capital fund to boost private startups.
By tying government-to-government missions with private innovation, New Delhi and Tokyo are building an ecosystem where research, industry, and startups drive each other forward—from labs to launch pads.
The mission’s development is already in motion. The Modi government approved funding for Chandrayaan-5 on March 10. In May, ISRO and JAXA held their third high-level technical meeting in Bengaluru with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The two-day session focused on landing sites, mission planning, and technical integration. ISRO’s Scientific Secretary, M. Ganesh Pillai, lauded the progress and called the collaboration vital for success. Chandrayaan-5, therefore, is more than a scientific venture. It is a message—that India and Japan, two major Asian democracies, are ready to shape the next phase of space exploration together. With China racing toward lunar bases, the Chandrayaan-5 mission represents not just a step on the Moon but a leap in the global balance of space power. The Moon, once a symbol of mystery, is now the stage where the world’s future power equations are being written.
