2023-08-11 08:04:51
Updated Friday, August 11, 2023 – 11:01
It will land on the south pole of the satellite, a region with water reserves, on August 21.
Video: MundoLuna-25 As is the first Russian robotic ship of the 21st century
Russia has launched this Friday its first robotic mission to the Moon in almost 50 years with the aim of giving new impetus to its space program, which has accumulated difficulties in recent years and which is isolated by the conflict in Ukraine, which has caused a break in relations with the West in the space sector, and which has only been They are kept on the International Space Station (ISSS).
The launch of the Luna-25 moduleIt is the first Russian mission to the moon since 1976, an era when the former Soviet Union was at the forefront of space conquest.
The Soyuz rocket that transport this probe of almost 800 kilos It took off from the Vostochni space base, in the Far East, at 02:10 in Moscow (01:10 in Spain), according to images broadcast live by the Roscosmos space agency. The airship rose, leaving behind a thick cloud of smoke and flames that stood out against the gray sky.
The device is expected to arrive in lunar orbit in five days, where it will spend between three and seven days to choose a good place for the moon landing in the area of the south pole of the satellite.
A Roscosmos source contacted by AFP indicated that it is projected that The moon landing takes place on August 21. On August 23, the landing of an Indian ship in the same region is planned.
“For the first time in history there will be a moon landing at the lunar south pole. Until now, everyone landed on the moon in the equatorial zone,” Alexander Blojin said in a recent interview with the official Rossiskaya Gazeta newspaper.
The Russian space agency is planning a one-year mission to collect samples and analyze the soil and to carry out “scientific investigations long-term”.
This launch occurs in a context of isolation from the Russian program, since Roscosmos has stopped collaborating with Western powers.
In tune with its diplomatic strategy, Russia seeks to develop space cooperation with China.
Russian independent analyst Vitali Yegorov said that this mission is a test for Moscow’s space program.
“The most important question is: Can you land on the moon?“, planted to the French agency AFP.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to continue the space program despite sanctions, citing as an example the moment the USSR sent the first man into space in 1961 amid tensions with the West. “We are guided by the ambition of our ancestors to go forward, despite difficulties and attempts to hinder us,” Putin said at a visit to the Vostochny cosmodrome last year.
RISK
The director of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, acknowledged in June that the mission is “risky.” “In the world, the chance of success of those kinds of missions is estimated at 70%”he said at a meeting with Putin.
The first stage of the launcher can drop in and around the town of Shtinskyin the Khabarovsk region, for which the authorities have already ordered the preventive evacuation of the inhabitants for a few hours.
FIRST IN 50 YEARS
The last Soviet mission to the Moon in 1976Luna-24, brought back to Earth soil samples from the satellite.
The space sector is a source of pride in Russia, since the Soviets launched the first satellite into orbit, Sputnik, they managed to put the first animal into orbit with the mission of laika the dog and then they sent the first man into space, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
However, United States prevailed in the space race when Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon in 1969.
The Russian space program, which relies heavily on Soviet technologies, has difficulties to innovate and suffers from a lack of financingsince Moscow prioritizes military spending.
In addition, it has been marred by corruption scandals and failed launches, as well as facing increasing competition from the United States, China, and private companies such as SpaceXof the magnate Elon Musk.
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