Russia’s bruised space programme eyes comeback with lunar launch
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The Luna-25 launch is Moscow’s first lunar mission since 1976, when the Soviet Union boasted a pioneering space programme.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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MOSCOW – Russia is launching its first mission to the Moon’s surface in nearly 50 years on Friday, hoping to reclaim prestige in space despite military and diplomatic setbacks at home over its war in Ukraine.
The Luna-25 launch is Moscow’s first lunar mission since 1976, when the Soviet Union boasted a pioneering space programme that has lost its shine because of funding problems and corruption.
The launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East region is scheduled for 2.11am Moscow time on Friday (7.11am Singapore time), Russia’s space agency Roscosmos has said.
The four-legged lander weighs about 800kg and is set to reach the lunar orbit around five days later.
It is expected to touch down near the moon’s south pole some time around Aug 21, a source at Roscosmos told AFP.
Roscosmos said the module would operate for one year and “take and analyse soil samples and conduct long-term scientific research” on lunar surface material and the atmosphere.
Independent space analyst Vitaly Yegorov said the Luna-25 mission was an important test for Russia’s space programme.
“So, the biggest question will be: Can it land?“
President Vladimir Putin wants to strengthen cooperation in space with China and scale back partnerships with the West, mirroring Russia’s geopolitical priorities.
Moscow has announced it will end its work with the United States on the International Space Station by 2028 and wants to participate in a rival project led by Beijing.
‘Ambition of our ancestors’
The European Space Agency (ESA) said it would not cooperate with Moscow on the Luna-25 launch – or the future Luna-26 and Luna-27 missions – after Mr Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Moscow vowed to go ahead with the mission and replace ESA equipment with Russian-made instruments.
Speaking at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in 2022, Mr Putin said the Soviet Union had sent the first man to space in 1961 despite a “total” sanction regime.
He said Russia would develop its lunar programme despite Western economic penalties that reached unprecedented levels over the Ukraine conflict.
“We are guided by the ambition of our ancestors to move forward, despite any difficulties and despite external attempts to prevent us from moving,” Mr Putin said.
Residents are being evacuated from a village in the area where the rocket boosters are predicted to fall.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
In June, the head of Roscosmos, Mr Yuri Borisov, described the launch as high-risk.
“This mission involves landing at the south pole. No one in the world has ever done such things,” he said during a meeting with Mr Putin.
Most moon landings have occurred near the lunar equator.
“These kinds of missions are always risky,” Mr Borosov told the Russian leader, claiming that estimates put the chance of success at around 70 per cent.
The rocket boosters are predicted to fall in the vicinity of the village of Shakhtinsky in the eastern region of Khabarovsk, so the residents of the settlement will be evacuated on Friday morning, the local authorities said.
The last Soviet mission to the Moon in 1976, the Luna 24, brought lunar soil samples back to Earth.
The Soviets launched the first satellite Sputnik, and sent into orbit the first animal, a dog named Laika; the first man, Yuri Gagarin; and the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova.
Russia’s programme, which still relies on Soviet-designed technology, has struggled to innovate and the Kremlin has instead prioritised military spending.
It has also been plagued by corruption scandals and botched launches, and faced competition from the United States and growing Chinese ambitions. AFP
