Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be visiting Gujarat on Set 13-14 to attend the annual bilateral summit. This meeting of Shinzo is likely going to boost the Indo Japan space cooperation including the project of the mission to the moon. During the summit, both the countries will be further strengthening its ties on the space projects.
In March 2018, a Bengaluru-based private aerospace company TeamIndus with the help of Japan will be launching India’s first private spacecraft to the moon. India will be the fourth country after the United Nations, Russia and China to send a private spacecraft to the moon.
According to the people in connection with the mission informed that it will be for the first time that a private body will undertake the robotic space mission when PSLV-XL will be launched from Sriharikota, carrying Japanese rover Sorato and Indian rover ECA. The sources said that Japan’s IHI Aerospace is sourcing the main engines of the space craft and the Sorato rover is being developed by iSpace Tokyo.
The private aerospace company, TeamIndus is planning to launch the spacecraft aboard the Indian Space Research Organisation’s PSLV. The spacecraft will be injected from the PSLV into an orbit of 800km above the surface of the earth. After entering the orbit the spacecraft will set on the way to the moon by switching on its own engines and both the rovers would be disposed of after the spacecraft lands on the lunar surface on Mare Imbrium.
Big Indian industries like Ratan Tata, Nandan Nilekani and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw are backing the TeamIndus in this mission to the moon.