Russia’s Luna 25 Mission Launches To The Moon

After 47 Years

Russia's recent lunar launch aims to achieve the first soft landing on the south pole, targeting water ice deposits, marking their return to moon missions after 47 years.

The Luna-25 mission successfully launched at 7:10 p.m. EDT (2310 GMT) on Thursday using a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur Region.

The launch picked up where the former Soviet Union left off in 1976, when Luna-24 successfully delivered about 6.2 ounces (170 grams) of moon samples to Earth.

If everything proceeds as intended, Luna-25 will embark on a five-day voyage to the moon and subsequently orbit it for an additional five to seven days.

The craft will land near Boguslawsky Crater in the moon's south pole area. After landing safely, Luna-25 is set to operate on the lunar surface for a minimum of one Earth year.

After successful landing, the spacecraft will analyze the lunar regolith's upper layer, assess the delicate lunar atmosphere, and investigate the potential presence of water ice in the southern polar area.

Luna-25's planned touchdown aligns with India's Chandrayaan 3 probe, which entered lunar orbit on August 6 after its July 14 launch, in a similar timeframe and region.