Moscow: On Friday, Russia launched its first lunar probe in almost 50 years. The mission was intended to revitalise Russia's space industry, which has been struggling for years and has become isolated due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Moscow's first lunar mission since the USSR's groundbreaking space conquest in 1976 will take place with the launch of the Luna-25 probe.
According to live footage provided by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, the rocket carrying the Luna-25 probe was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome at 2:10 a.m. Moscow time (2310 gmt on Thursday). In five days, the spacecraft should be in lunar orbit.
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After that, it will take anywhere from three to seven days to find the ideal location before landing close to the lunar south pole.
"The lunar landing will take place on the lunar south pole for the first time ever. In a recent interview, senior Roscosmos official Alexander Blokhin stated that up until this point, everyone had been landing in the equatorial zone.
According to AFP, a source at Roscosmos expects the probe to touch down on the Moon around August 21.
The spacecraft will spend a year on the Moon and be tasked with "taking (samples) and analizing the soil" in addition to "conducting long-term scientific research," the Russian space agency said.
The launch marks the beginning of Russia's new lunar programme, which comes into being as Roscosmos loses its Western partnerships due to the conflict with Ukraine.
The mission marks the first time post-Soviet Russia has tried to put a device on a celestial body, claims Russian space expert Vitali Iegorov.
He told AFP that the mission is "of great importance" to Russia and that "the biggest question will be: can it land?"
Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, has vowed to continue the country's space programme despite sanctions, citing the USSR's 1961 launch of the first man into space, which occurred at a time of rising East-West tensions.
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At the Vostochny Cosmodrome last year, Putin declared, "We are inspired by the ambition of our ancestors to move forward, despite difficulties and outside attempts to stop us from doing so."
The mission is crucial for the Russian space industry, which is struggling with funding issues, scandals involving corruption, and growing competition from China and the United States as well as from private initiatives like billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX.
