Roscosmos chief announces timeframes for upcoming Moon missions
VOSTOCHNY COSMODROME /Amur Region/, August 11. /TASS/. Russian state-run space corporation Roscosmos plans to launch the Luna-26 moon mission in 2027, Luna - 27 - in 2008 and Luna-28 - in 2030 or later, Roscosmos Director General Yury Borisov said on Friday.
"Luna-26 is [scheduled for] 2027, Luna-27 - [for] 2028, Luna-28 - in 2030 or later," he told reporters.
After that, Russia’s space corporation will launch the next phase of the program.
"Subsequently, we will begin the next phase - a manned mission and the construction of a lunar base - with our colleagues from China," Borisov said. "This would be a long-lasting and important program and we expect many countries to join it."
Luna-25, the first lunar mission in the history of modern Russia, took off from the Vostochny launch facility in Russia’s Far East at 2:10 a.m. on Friday Moscow time. The spacecraft is expected to reach the Moon’s orbit on August 16 before landing on August 21.
The mission’s key goal will be to polish the soft landing technology. The mission may become the first spacecraft ever to land near the South Pole of the Earth’s natural satellite. The spacecraft will look for natural resources, including water, and study the effects of space rays and electromagnetic emissions on the lunar surface.
The lander is equipped with several cameras. They will make a timelapse footage of the landing and an HDR wide-angle image of the moonscape. Luna-25 will turn its cameras during pre-programmed periods and on a signal from the Earth.
Photo by Sergey Savostyanov/TASS
