Russia: Russia has launched Luna 25, its first mission to the moon in nearly 50 years. The move is widely viewed as part of Russia’s space race with India, which is also aiming to land a lunar craft this month.
The launch of the new lunar lander was Russia’s first since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Furthermore, it was conducted without assistance from the European Space Agency, which ended cooperation with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
According to the Russian space agency Roscosmos, the launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Far East took place at 2:10 AM Moscow time.
The four-legged lander weighs approximately 800 kilogrammes and is due to reach lunar orbit in five days. It will then spend between three and seven days choosing the right spot before landing in the lunar south pole area.
Recently, senior Roscosmos official Mr. Alexander Blokhin commented that “for the first time in history, the lunar landing will take place on the lunar south pole. Until now, everyone has been landing in the equatorial zone.”
The lander is expected to reach the moon’s surface on August 23, around the same time as an Indian craft, which was launched on July 14. Both landers are headed towards the lunar south pole, an area where no spacecraft has landed smoothly.
Roscosmos noted that the module would operate for one year and “take and analyse soil samples and conduct long-term scientific research on lunar surface material and the atmosphere.” The space agency added that it wants to show Russia “is a state capable of delivering a payload to the moon and ensure Russia’s guaranteed access to the moon’s surface.”
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