Baku, April 9, AZERTAC
Russia plans to launch its Luna-25 lunar probe from the Vostochny cosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region on August 22, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported on Friday.
It will be Russia’s first mission to the moon in 46 years, noted Alexander Mitkin, deputy general designer of electrical systems at NPO Lavotchkin, a spacecraft construction plant where Luna-25 was manufactured.
The last lunar mission, Luna-24, was carried out by the Soviet Union in August 1976, proving at the time the presence of water in the samples brought back from the Moon.
According to RIA Novosti, Luna-25’s main tasks will be to test soft-landing technologies in the moon’s circumpolar region and conduct contact studies with its south pole.
Luna-25 marks the reactivation of the Russian lunar program. After her, the Luna-26 mission (mapping) should take off in 2024, Luna-27 (soil exploration) in 2025, Luna-28 (collecting lunar soil and developing a landing plan for cosmonauts) in 2027 -2028. (Xinhua)
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