The world has entered into a new space race. China, the USA, Russia and now India all dream of not only landing on the Moon this time, but building a base here in a way that will turn science fiction movies into reality. Today, one of these actors is tangibly involved in the race.
Russia has given the green light for its first mission to reach the surface of the Moon since 1976. The Luna 25 mission began with the launch of the Soyuz 2.1v rocket and the Luna 25 spacecraft. The spacecraft is scheduled to land on the Moon on August 21.
What will the Luna 25 spacecraft do on the Moon?
According to the shared information, Luna 25 will perform an operation at the south pole of the Moon. This region has recently turned into a region where all countries focus and plan tasks. Because in this part of the Moon, traces of ice have been found in places far from sunlight.
The 1.8-tonne spacecraft will collect rock samples from up to 15 centimeters below the lunar surface.
Just last month, India launched a spacecraft to the same area. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is also expected to land on the Moon on August 23.
No country has yet landed at the Moon’s south pole:
Alongside the four major countries, Japan and the European Union also launched missions to the Moon’s south pole. However, no country has yet achieved a successful mission by landing. India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission and another Israeli mission failed in 2019, while Japan’s mission failed last year.