New Delhi, May 16 -- Indian and Japanese space agencies working on the Chandrayaan-5 mission, aimed at deeper exploration of the Moon's surface, mainly for water, will soon commence the preliminary design phase of the lander and the rover.

"The instrument selections have been done, the engineering model testing is almost done, and both India and Japan are entering the preliminary design phase," according to Asoh Dai, Project Manager, LUPEX, at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Chandrayaan-5, also known as LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration), is a joint project between ISRO and JAXA to study water and water-ice both on the lunar surface and the subsurface. Weighing 6.5 tonnes, it is proposed to lift off on a Japanese rocket, H3,...