Russia’s Luna 25 Spacecraft Enters Lunar Orbit, Sets Goal for South Polar Region Landing

Russia’s Luna 25 spacecraft has successfully entered orbit around the Moon less than a week after its launch. The spacecraft, launched on August 11, 2023, is set to land in the south polar region next week, making it the first-ever mission in modern Russian history to conduct scientific research on the Moon. The last Soviet lunar landing mission was in 1976.

The decision to explore the lunar south polar region is driven recent remote lunar studies that have shown distinct differences in conditions compared to previously examined areas. Notably, the polar regolith (the top layer of soil) appears to have a high content of volatile compounds, including water ice. This region holds immense research potential as it is believed to contain remnants from earlier epochs in the solar system’s evolution.

Other countries are also focused on lunar exploration in this region. NASA’s Artemis program aims to send several robotic landers to the south polar region in the coming years, eventually leading to human missions. China also has plans for lunar exploration in the same area. Additionally, India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander, currently in lunar orbit, is expected to touch down in the south polar region August 23.

The Luna 25 mission’s primary objectives include analyzing the lunar exosphere, investigating the surface layer of the south polar region, and advancing landing and soil analysis technologies. The spacecraft is equipped with a range of scientific instruments for these tasks, including a laser mass spectrometer, a neutron and gamma detector, an infrared spectrometer, a dust monitor, an ion energy-mass analyzer, a service television system, a lunar manipulator complex, and a scientific information control unit.

The Luna 25 spacecraft weighs 3,540 pounds, with the scientific instruments contributing to 66 pounds of that weight. The spacecraft’s landing procedure will follow the approach used previous Soviet lunar missions, involving a low polar orbit around the Moon and a deceleration and vertical descent.

Source: Anastasia Stepanova