# LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration Mission)

**Type:** Joint robotic lunar mission  
**Partners:** JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation)  
**Also known as:** Chandrayaan-5  
**Status:** Development phase, targeting 2027-2028 launch  

## Overview

LUPEX is a joint mission between JAXA and ISRO to investigate water ice and other volatiles in permanently shadowed craters at the Moon's south polar region. The mission represents an independent international path for lunar water ice characterization, separate from US-led programs.

## Mission Architecture

- **Launch vehicle:** H3-24 (JAXA's heavy-lift rocket)
- **Launch target:** 2027–2028
- **Landing target:** Late 2028, lunar south polar region
- **Mission duration:** 100+ days on the lunar surface
- **Hardware roles:** JAXA develops and operates launch vehicle and rover; ISRO develops and operates lander
- **Instruments:** Japanese and Indian instruments plus contributions from NASA and ESA

## Technical Capabilities

- **Drill capability:** Sub-surface sampling to 1.5m depth
- **Primary objective:** Map presence, abundance, and distribution of water ice in permanently shadowed regions; analyze subsurface volatiles
- **Mission goal:** "Confirm the abundance and state of water resources, enabling future sustainable human activities on the Moon such as ISRU for fuel and life support"

## Strategic Significance

LUPEX provides redundancy in the lunar water ice characterization prerequisite chain. Its 1.5m subsurface drilling capability may produce higher-value ice concentration data than surface-sweep approaches. The mission is completely independent of US launch infrastructure, using Japan's H3 rocket.

## Timeline

- **2023-03** — H3-1 first flight fails
- **2024-02** — H3-2 succeeds, validating launch vehicle
- **2027-2028** — Planned LUPEX launch window
- **Late 2028** — Target lunar landing

## International Collaboration

While led by JAXA and ISRO, the mission includes instrument contributions from NASA and ESA, making it a genuinely international collaborative effort. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries manufactures the rover.

---

**Related missions:** VIPER (NASA/Blue Origin), PROSPECT (ESA), Chang'e-7 (CNSA)