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| Attribute | LUPEX (ISRO lander + JAXA rover) Lunar Polar Exploration Mission Trust: Agency-primary Last verified Remove × | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | CNSA | Firefly Aerospace | JAXA + ISRO |
| Prime contractor | China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) | Firefly Aerospace | JAXA + ISRO |
| Status | In development | In development | In development |
| Customer | CNSA | NASA-CLPSESA | JAXAISRO |
| Launch date | 2026-08 (NET) | 2026-Q4 (NET) | 2028 (NET) |
| Landing date | — | — | — |
| Landing site | Shackleton crater illuminated rim, lunar south pole | Lunar far side (specific site TBD; supports LuSEE-Night) | Lunar south pole (permanently shadowed crater margin) |
| Payload | 18 science payloads across orbiter, lander, rover, mini-hopper, and Queqiao-2 (2026-05-28) | Dual-spacecraft: Blue Ghost lander + Elytra orbital relay (2026-05-28) | ~350 kg rover with drilling to 1.5 m + ISRO lander (2026-05-28) |
| Contract value | — | — | — |
| Outcome | China's first dedicated lunar south-pole prospecting mission. Mini-flying probe hops into permanently shadowed regions to sample for water-ice volatiles. Italian laser retroreflector aboard the lander. | First commercial far-side landing attempt. Elytra deploys ESA's Lunar Pathfinder relay before Blue Ghost descends, providing dual-S/X-band relay for surface and orbital users. JPL's User Terminal Payload delivered for integration April 2026. | Joint ISRO-JAXA water-ice prospecting mission, designated Chandrayaan-5 by India. India's cabinet approved Phase A on 2025-03-10. Launches on JAXA's H3. Carries American and European instruments alongside Indian and Japanese ones. |
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