After Half a Century, Russia's Mission to the Moon Resumed

Abstract:

Recently, the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket carrying the unmanned lunar probe Luna-25 was launched from the Eastern Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East. This is the first time in 47 years that Russia has restarted a lunar exploration mission.

According to Nature, Luna-25 will take about five days to enter a near-moon orbit and is scheduled to make a soft landing on Aug. 21 near Boguslavsky crater, about 500 kilometers from the moon's south pole, with two orbital adjustments planned before landing. If successful, Luna-25 will be the first probe in human history to land at the moon's south pole. "At the south pole of the moon, we may s

ee an increase in the concentration of water ice."