SpacecraftMoonIn development

LUPEX / Chandrayaan-5 (Lunar Polar Exploration mission)

Planned JAXA-ISRO lunar south-pole mission: JAXA provides the H3 launch and a rover (payload mass above 350 kg including the rover) and ISRO the lander, to obtain ground-truth data on the quantity, form and distribution of water at the lunar poles. JAXA lists launch no earlier than 2028; ISRO states the Indian government's financial sanction was received on 10 March 2025.

Objective. Obtain data on the quantity and forms of lunar polar water to assess whether it can be used for sustainable exploration.

Targeted

Facts

Kind: Spacecraft
Mission type: Prospecting
Target: MoonLunar south polar region (landing site being coordinated)
Launch: Planned, no earlier than 2028
Announcement date not recorded. Record checked 2026-09-25.
Launch vehicle: H3
Phase: In developmentJAXA LUPEX page (accessed 2026-09-25) gives launch 'No earlier than 2028'; ISRO statement quoted by ThePrint confirms Indian sanction.
Outcome: Not applicable
Why it is included: Stated resource objective

Participants

Operators, payload owners, carriers and customers are recorded separately.

Organization	Role
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency	Operator
Indian Space Research Organisation	Operator

Resources and evidence

Resource	Evidence
Water ice	Targeted
Volatiles	Targeted

Open evidence gaps

ISRO-JAXA implementing arrangement (reported August 2025) not confirmed from a primary source.
Earlier reports (2022) of a 2024 LUPEX flight imply schedule slips not recorded as history items for lack of a dated primary source.

Sources

4 sources

[1]Lunar Polar Exploration Mission
JAXA Space Exploration CenterGovernment recordAccessed 2026-09-25Supports: objective, inclusion basis, participants, summary
JAXA is working with ISRO to plan an international collaborative mission to obtain the data on the quantity and forms of the water resources present on the Moon
Quote matched the source text when accessed.
[2]Lunar Polar Exploration Mission
JAXA Space Exploration CenterGovernment recordAccessed 2026-09-25Supports: launch date, launch vehicle
Launch Year No earlier than 2028 Launch Vehicle H3 Rocket
Quote matched the source text when accessed.
[3]JAXA, ISRO scientists meet to finalise Chandrayaan-5 mission interface
ThePrintPressAccessed 2026-09-25Supports: phase, history, date
The approval for the Chandrayaan-5/LUPEX mission was received from the government of India on March 10, 2025, in the form of financial sanction
Quote matched the source text when accessed.
[4]Newly approved Chandrayaan 5 LUPEX mission will drill for water on the Moon and aid Artemis
Jatan Mehta (jatan.space)PressPublished 2025-04-04Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: date
the Indian Government's Union Cabinet approved the Chandrayaan 5/LUPEX mission on March 13
Quote matched the source text when accessed.