ISRO Identifies Mons Mouton Site for Chandrayaan-4 Mission Landing

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has identified a landing location in the Moon’s south polar region for the Chandrayaan-4 mission, marking a key milestone in India’s next lunar endeavour.

ISRO had shortlisted four potential landing sites in the Mons Mouton (MM) region of the lunar south pole—MM-1, MM-3, MM-4 and MM-5. After detailed evaluation of terrain safety and mission requirements, MM-4 has been selected as the final landing site for the mission’s lander.

Mons Mouton is a prominent mountainous region near the lunar south pole, an area of high scientific interest due to its unique geology and the possibility of water ice in permanently shadowed regions.

The Union Government has approved the Chandrayaan-4 mission, which is designed as a lunar sample-return mission. It is set to be India’s most complex lunar mission to date, involving multiple spacecraft elements and intricate in-orbit operations.

The mission architecture includes:

• Propulsion Module (PM)
• Descender Module (DM)
• Ascender Module (AM)
• Transfer Module (TM)
• Re-entry Module (RM)

Under the mission plan, lunar samples collected from the south polar region will be launched from the Moon’s surface by the Ascender Module, transferred to Earth orbit, and finally returned safely to Earth via the Re-entry Module.

Source: TH