Technical Interface Meeting (TIM-5) for LUPEX/ Chandrayaan-5 Held in Japan

Space Exploration

From December 15 to 17, 2025, ISRO’s Project Director, Mr. P. Jayasimha, along with other team members, visited Japan to participate in the LUPEX/Chandrayaan-5 Technical Interface Meeting (TIM-5) with JAXA.

Group photo of members from JAXA, MHI, and ISRO

The meeting began with progress updates from Mr. Dai Asoh, Project Manager of JAXA, and Mr. P. Jayasimha from ISRO, who reported on the development status of JAXA and ISRO respectively. This was followed by discussions on the status of action items from previous TIMs, sharing of development schedules for each of agencies, and identifying appropriate timelines for various verification tests. In addition, detailed discussions were opened on interface coordination with the H3 launch vehicle, involving experts from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, as well as interface adjustments between the lander and the rover.

To mark ISRO’s visit, Ms. Mayumi Matsuura, Vice President of JAXA’s Human Spaceflight Technology Directorate, and Mr. Kazuyoshi Kawasaki, Associate Director General, delivered welcome remarks. The meeting was also attended by key members from JAXA, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Space BD Inc. involved in the LUPEX project, further strengthening collaboration between the two agencies. TIM-5 marked the third Technical Interface Meeting this fiscal year, following TIM-3 in May which JAXA visited ISRO—and TIM-4 in August (reference: ISRO and JAXA Gear Up for Joint Chandrayaan-5 / LUPEX Mission in the Technical Interface Meet). Face-to-face coordination toward the launch is deepening and accelerating, and both agencies plan to continue strengthening collaboration in preparation for the upcoming mission.

Ms. Mayumi Matsuura presented a LUPEX rover model.

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