Chandrayaan-4 mission has been approved in the Union Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The objective of this mission is to land Indian astronauts on the moon and bring them back safely to Earth. Under this, there is also a plan to bring samples of moon rocks and soil to Earth so that they can be studied. Giving information about the decisions taken in the cabinet meeting, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav said that the cabinet also approved the extension of Venus orbit mission, Gaganyaan, and Chandrayaan-4 mission. He said that the cabinet has also approved a next generation launch vehicle, which will be able to install a payload of 30 tonnes in low Earth orbit.
The Chandrayaan-4 mission will require a fund of Rs 2,104.06 crore. An official statement said that the mission will develop technologies required to send Indian astronauts to the Moon by 2040, including docking/undocking, landing, and sample collection. ISRO will be responsible for the development and launch of the spacecraft for this mission, and it is expected that the mission will be completed within 36 months with the participation of industry and academia.