Science&Tech Russia launched Luna-25 after 47 years of the last lunar probe Posted on August 11, 2023 1 min read Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Google+ Russia successfully launched the lunar lander Luna-25 on Thursday. The spacecraft is expected to land on the moon in about two weeks. This marks Russia’s first lunar mission in 47 years. Luna-25 will spend five days in lunar orbit before taking an additional five to seven days to make its landing on the moon’s surface. The launch took place from Vostochny, a spaceport located in the far east of Russia. Residents of a nearby village were temporarily evacuated due to the possibility of rocket debris falling. The Russian space agency Roscosmos live-streamed the launch. Luna-25’s ultimate destination is the moon’s south pole, where water in the form of ice is believed to be present. India has also sent a spacecraft to the same region, set to land on August 23, around the same time as Luna-25. However, Russia states that their missions do not interfere with each other. In 1966, the Soviet Union became the first country to achieve a soft landing on the moon. The last Soviet lunar mission took place a decade later.
