Russia’s Luna-25 mission sets sights on Moon’s south pole after 50 years
Luna-25 and India's Chandrayaan-3 race to explore Moon's icy south pole
Russia is gearing up for a lunar mission, marking its first return to the Moon since 1976. The launch, set for this week, will see the deployment of the Luna-25 lander, weighing in at approximately 800 kilograms. The spacecraft will be propelled into space using a Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny cosmodrome located in the Russian Far East.
Interestingly, India’s Chandrayaan-3, which was launched a month prior, also has its sights set on the lunar south pole. However, the two missions have different landing zones, eliminating any possibility of collision or interference.
The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, has meticulously planned the journey of Luna-25. The spacecraft will take about five days to reach the Moon, followed by a period of 5-7 days in lunar orbit. It will then descend to one of three potential landing sites near the south pole. This timeline indicates that Russia could potentially match or even outdo Chandrayaan-3’s moon landing.
#Russia is preparing for its Lunar Mission "Luna 25" to reach Moon's South Pole before India.
The launch is scheduled from #Russia's Vostochny cosmodrome on Friday. Luna 25 is expected to land on 21/22 August before Chandrayaan-3.
Roscosmos has said the two missions would not… pic.twitter.com/5ixw6E83gt
— Indian Aerospace Defence News – IADN (@NewsIADN) August 8, 2023
The south pole of the Moon, although a challenging terrain to navigate, holds immense scientific interest due to the potential presence of ice deposits. These deposits could prove to be invaluable resources for future human habitation on the Moon, as they could provide fuel, oxygen, and water.
Luna-25 has a more comprehensive mission compared to Chandrayaan-3, with a duration of one year. It aims to extract rock samples using a scoop mechanism to ascertain the presence of frozen water, a critical factor for sustaining human life beyond Earth.
The launch of Luna-25 was delayed by almost two years, primarily due to the withdrawal of the European Space Agency from the project following political tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Despite these hurdles, the Russian and Indian lunar missions signify monumental strides in humanity’s exploration of the Moon and our preparation for potential colonization.
