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According to Russia Today news agency, in the early morning of August 11 (local time), Russia launched the Luna-25 lunar probe into space. This move marked the restart of Russia's lunar exploration program after 47 years.
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| Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft. Photo: Reuters |
The Soyuz rocket carrying the Luna-25 spacecraft was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East. The Luna-25 spacecraft is scheduled to separate from the carrier rocket about an hour after launch. The flight to the Moon will take about five days.
Luna-25's mission is to test soft-landing technologies on the Moon's polar regions and conduct studies of the Moon's internal structure and explore resources, including water. Luna-25's scientific mission is expected to last one year.
Russia's previous probe, Luna-24, was launched in 1976. This event made history when samples taken from the Moon at that time proved the presence of water on Earth's only natural satellite. After Luna-25, Russia plans to launch Luna-26 and Luna-27, in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
According to Reuters, Luna 25 and Chandrayaan-3 (India, launched in mid-July), are both expected to land on the South Pole of the Moon on August 23. This is considered a lunar landing race between two countries focusing on developing the aerospace industry. Luna 25 and Chandrayaan-3 land in different areas to avoid collision.
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