The Chandrayaan Zone, housed within the India Pavilion (Bharat) at Expo 2025 Osaka, has emerged as a major attraction, drawing thousands of visitors with its immersive display of India’s remarkable strides in space exploration — particularly its landmark Chandrayaan lunar missions.
Positioned at the heart of the Pavilion under the theme “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future”, the Chandrayaan Zone celebrates India’s growing role as a global space power and showcases how scientific innovation and indigenous expertise have placed the country on the frontlines of lunar research.
A Gateway to India’s Moon Missions
The Zone offers an awe-inspiring walk-through experience, taking visitors through the journeys of Chandrayaan-1, Chandrayaan-2, and Chandrayaan-3 — each a testament to India’s technological ingenuity and scientific resolve.
- Chandrayaan-1, launched in 2008, marked India’s debut into lunar exploration and made the groundbreaking discovery of water molecules on the Moon.
- Chandrayaan-2, launched in 2019, aimed to demonstrate India’s soft-landing capabilities and expanded scientific instruments for lunar research, despite a partial setback in its lander mission.
- Chandrayaan-3, launched in 2023, made India the first country to land a spacecraft near the Moon’s South Pole, an unprecedented feat that drew praise from space agencies around the world.
The exhibits include interactive models, 3D simulations, touch-screen storytelling, and VR experiences that allow visitors to relive launch sequences, lunar landings, and mission control moments from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
A Celebration of Indian Innovation
Designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, the Chandrayaan Zone is not just about technology — it’s about India’s vision for space as a domain of peace, sustainability, and shared knowledge.
“India’s success in space, especially with the Chandrayaan missions, reflects our spirit of self-reliance and our commitment to pushing boundaries,” said a representative from the Indian Pavilion. “The Zone is not just for Indians—it’s for the world to see what a developing country with determination and scientific spirit can achieve.”
Visitors are particularly drawn to life-size models of the Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover, and many stop to take pictures with a backdrop of the lunar surface, marked with the Indian tricolour planted virtually at the South Pole.
Educational and Inspirational
The Chandrayaan Zone also features live demonstrations, talks by ISRO scientists, and short films on how space technology is helping India in fields like agriculture, weather forecasting, and disaster management. A dedicated Children’s Corner offers simplified activities like building model rockets and decoding the lunar alphabet, sparking curiosity in young minds.
Educational institutions from Japan and across Asia have started organizing field trips to the Zone, calling it a unique learning opportunity that combines science, sustainability, and global cooperation.
Strengthening India-Japan Space Collaboration
Expo 2025 Osaka serves as a platform to deepen India-Japan ties, and the Chandrayaan Zone subtly echoes this vision. Both countries have growing collaboration in space technology, with dialogues between ISRO and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) intensifying over the years, especially in the areas of satellite navigation, lunar exploration, and space debris management.
Looking to the Future
As India gears up for ambitious missions like Gaganyaan (India’s first crewed mission), LUPEX (a joint lunar polar exploration with Japan), and interplanetary exploration of Mars and Venus, the Chandrayaan Zone acts as a launchpad of imagination for all who step into its orbit.
Whether it’s the technical brilliance or the story of humble beginnings to lunar triumph, the Chandrayaan Zone is more than just an exhibit — it is a symbol of possibility, celebrating a nation’s cosmic dream that has now become a shared global inspiration.
Expo 2025 Osaka runs until October 2025, and the India Pavilion is open to all visitors with daily guided tours and multilingual support available.
Source: The Embassy of India, Tokyo
