Space Race Between Russia & India: Who Will First Land On Shadowy Lunar South Pole?

Laiba MohsinLast Updated: Aug 16, 2023

A new space race has started between Russia and India. These nations are competing to become the first ones to set a lunar lander down safely in the Moon’s southern polar region.

Space Race Between India and Russia

Reports claim that Russia launched its first lunar mission in nearly 50 years, earlier today. The “Luna 25” lander is erupting off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the country’s Far East atop a Soyuz-2.1b rocket. According to some sources, Russia’s last Moon lander was 1976’s “Luna 24”. It came back with rock samples from Mare Crisium that contained trace amounts of water. Now, the highly anticipated Luna 25 is tipped to arrive in lunar orbit in five-and-a-half days. After that, it will spend three-to-five days circling the satellite at an altitude of 62 miles before heading to land. It will likely reach around August 23. The cherry on the top is that India expects its Chandrayaan-3 mission, presently in lunar orbit about the same day to also touch down.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:
Even closer to the moon’s surface.

Chandrayaan-3's orbit is reduced to 174 km x 1437 km following a manuevre performed today.

The next operation is scheduled for August 14, 2023, between 11:30 and 12:30 Hrs. IST pic.twitter.com/Nx7IXApU44

— ISRO (@isro) August 9, 2023

A spokesperson for Roscosmos stated:

“Russia is a state capable of delivering a payload to the Moon.”

The basic purpose of Luna 25 is to display its landing technology. Let me tell you that the mission is also carrying scientific instruments to collect geological samples, take photographs, measure the thermal properties of the regolith, and measure exospheric plasma levels as well.

The south pole of the moon is of great interest to scientists. The reason is that it contains the largest concentration of forever shadowed regions on the Moon. Sunlight does not reach the deep bottom of these areas. That’s why these regions are capable of maintaining very low temperatures and preserving water in the form of water ice. The water ice can be broken down into its oxygen and hydrogen components to provide both life-sustaining air and potential fuel according to scientists.

Dr Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich stated: