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New Delhi: There has been a major progress in India’s space programme. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has finalized the landing site on the Moon for its most complex and ambitious mission to date, Chandrayaan-4. This mission will not be limited to just landing on the moon, but its aim is to collect samples from the lunar surface and bring them back safely to Earth. With this success, India will become the fourth country in the world to do so after America, Russia and China.

ISRO scientists have made this important identification after a thorough analysis of the images obtained from the high-resolution cameras installed in the orbiter of Chandrayaan-2. The site chosen is near the Mons Mouton mountain located in the south polar region of the Moon. At present it is considered to be the safest and most suitable place for landing.

How was this special place chosen?

Selection of a landing site is one of the most challenging tasks for any lunar mission. Researchers at ISRO’s Space Applications Center adopted very strict criteria for this. Scientists looked for an area that was spread over about 1 square kilometer and was relatively flat, so that the landing of Vikram Lander could be easy and safe.

A number of technical aspects were taken into account in selecting the landing site, including:

• The slope of the surface should be less than 10 degrees.
• There should be no large rocks or boulders in that area.
• There should be continuous sunlight available at the landing site for at least 11-12 days.
• The number of craters should be minimal.
• It should be easy to establish direct radio communication with Earth.

Only after meeting all these criteria has the process of finalizing this place started.

What is Chandrayaan-4 mission and why is it special?

Chandrayaan-4 is India’s first lunar sample return mission, which is targeted to be launched by 2028. The mission will be completed in several phases and will consist of five separate modules: propulsion module, descender (lander), ascender, transfer module and re-entry module.

According to the plan, the lander will land on the lunar surface. A robotic system will then collect samples of soil and rocks from the surface. These samples will be delivered to the lunar orbit with the help of the ascender module. From there the transfer module will bring it towards the Earth and finally the re-entry module will enter the Earth’s atmosphere and return with these priceless samples.

The success of this mission will not only prove India’s technological capability, but will also reveal many mysteries to the origin and structure of the Moon. Now this proposed landing site will be sent to the Landing Selection Committee for final approval, after whose approval it will become the launchpad of India’s historic mission.