11 May 2026
ISRO's Chandrayaan-4 sample return mission cleared
UPSC
Banking
Science
Defence
Summary
The Centre approved Chandrayaan-4 — India's first lunar sample return mission. Target launch: 2028. Will use SLV2 (heavy launcher) and two-spacecraft rendezvous architecture.
Why it matters
UPSC GS-3 (Space tech). Builds on Chandrayaan-3 soft landing (2023). India would join US, USSR, China as nations bringing back lunar samples.