The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) expressed its warm congratulations to Russia's Roscosmos, the State Space Corporation, for the successful launch of their pioneering lunar mission. This achievement marks Russia's return to lunar exploration after nearly five decades since its last mission during the Soviet Union era in 1976.
"Congratulations to Roscosmos for the flawless launch of Luna-25! It's truly remarkable to witness another milestone in our shared journey through space. We extend our best wishes to both Chandrayaan-3 and Luna-25 missions as they strive to achieve their objectives," ISRO conveyed through its official Twitter handle.
Russia's recent lunar endeavor, Luna-25, was launched after a gap of 47 years. The spacecraft took off from the Vostochny launch facility aboard a Soyuz-2 Fregat rocket at 8:10 am (local time) on Friday. Approximately 564 seconds into the launch, the Fregat booster successfully detached from the rocket's third stage, according to reports.
Sized approximately like a small car, Luna-25 has been designed to operate for a duration of one year on the lunar south pole. This region has garnered considerable interest due to the discovery of water ice in the shadowed craters by NASA and other international space agencies in recent times.
Yuri Borisov, the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, indicated that the lunar lander is anticipated to make a controlled landing on the lunar surface by August 21. This represents a change from Roscosmos' earlier projection of August 23 for the landing date.
Russia's ambitious goal with this mission is to achieve the distinction of performing a soft landing on the moon's south pole, a feat no nation has accomplished before. Scientists believe that this endeavor will contribute crucial insights into the potential availability of ice resources that could support future human settlements by providing essential resources like fuel, oxygen, and drinking water.
The spacecraft, Luna-25, is equipped with a 1.6-meter-long Lunar Robotic Arm, which will play a pivotal role in collecting surface deposits and facilitating various scientific experiments. These experiments encompass studying the composition of plasma and dust within the lunar polar exosphere.
Roscosmos stated that the four-legged Luna-25, weighing 1,764 pounds, is poised to gather invaluable data from the lunar surface throughout its year-long mission. The mission's success holds significant significance, as it demonstrates Russia's capability to thrive in the face of economic challenges posed by sanctions from Western nations, stemming from conflicts such as the one with Ukraine. These sanctions, including those affecting the aerospace sector, have failed to inflict severe damage on the Russian economy, as affirmed by the Russian government
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