Promise the Moon: Russia Launches Luna-25 Attempting First Soft Landing on the South Pole of Earth’s Satellite – Arrival Is To Coincide With India’s Lunar Mission
Target of a myriad of economic sanctions, and in the middle of the ‘Special Military Operation’ in Ukraine, Russia took an important step in the path back to Space superpower status with the launch of its first moon-landing spacecraft in 47 years.
The mission aims to place the Russians as first nation to make a ‘soft landing’ on the lunar south pole, considered the most promising area for human exploration.
A Soyuz 2.1 rocket carrying lift off from the Vostochny cosmodrome the carrying the Luna-25 craft. The lander is expected to touch down on the moon on Aug. 21, which – probably not coincidentally, is the expected date of arrival of the Indian Lunar mission that aims to land in the same region.
