Rediscovering the Moon: Russia’s Historic Lunar Mission Launched After Decades

There was a time during the cold war when USSR (now Russia) and the USA were engaged in different competitions including the arms race, nuclear proliferation, and the race to the cosmos. In 1976, Russia launched its last lunar mission and now yesterday the country successfully launched a Soyuz-2.1b rocket to the moon after the cold war days. The uncrewed Luna-25 mission took off at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s far eastern Amur region.

It is expected that the lunar mission will reach the moon’s surface around August 23. The primary ambition of Russia’s one-year mission is to land a search vehicle on the south pole of the moon. The search vehicle will be examining the lunar soil for water ice. It will also examine the dust and plasma in the thin lunar exosphere.

It is pertinent to mention that US space agency NASA has already affirmed that water ice exists in our nearest neighbor. The water ice if successfully harvested could serve as potable water and oxygen for longer crewed lunar missions. Furthermore, there is a possibility to refine it into propellant for spacecraft launches from the moon’s surface.

Composition of Russia’s Lunar Spacecraft:

Russia’s lander is equipped with a four-legged base with landing rockets and propellant tanks. In addition to it,  an upper chamber is comprised of solar panels, communication equipment, onboard computers, and most of the science apparatus, as per a source. Moreover, it contains a 1.6-meter-long robotic arm with a ladle for the collection and removal of lunar materials from chasms of up to 30 centimeters.

The journey to the moon has its own challenges, and a safe landing poses a completely different level of challenge. A recent Japanese endeavor involving a private company failed to make a successful landing on the surface of the moon.

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