Question

Difficulty: HardScience, Emerging Technology, and Space Missions in News

Consider the following statements regarding the Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) mission:

1. It is a joint robotic lunar exploration mission undertaken by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the European Space Agency (ESA).
2. The primary objective of the mission is to explore the permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole to investigate the quantity and quality of water ice.
3. Under the mission agreement, ISRO is responsible for developing the lunar lander, while JAXA provides the H3 launch vehicle and the lunar rover.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. A
    1 and 2 only
  2. 2 and 3 onlyAnswer
  3. C
    1 and 3 only
  4. D
    1, 2 and 3

Answer

Statements 2 and 3 are correct. LUPEX is a joint robotic mission between ISRO (India) and JAXA (Japan), not ESA.
The correct answer identifies that statements 2 and 3 are accurate. LUPEX is designed to analyze water ice in shadowed lunar south pole regions. Under the partnership, ISRO builds the lander, while JAXA supplies the rover and handles the launch using its H3 rocket.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate Statement 1 regarding international partners of the LUPEX mission.
Statement 1 is incorrect because LUPEX (Lunar Polar Exploration) is a joint collaborative endeavor between ISRO and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), not ESA.
Identifying accurate bilateral agency partnerships in contemporary space missions.
2
Evaluate Statement 2 regarding mission location and scientific goals.
Statement 2 is correct. The mission targets the moon's south pole region to assess water ice abundance and test in-situ resource utilization technologies.
Verifying target celestial coordinates and scientific payloads of lunar probes.
3
Evaluate Statement 3 regarding agency division of responsibilities.
Statement 3 is correct. As per the framework agreement, ISRO leads the development of the lunar lander system, whereas JAXA builds the rover and provides the H3 heavy-lift launch rocket.
Matching specific technological contributions to their respective national space organizations.

Key Concept

Bilateral Space Missions, Rover/Lander Dynamics, and Planetary Exploration in Recent News
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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