Russia is getting ready to launch a mission to the moon after almost 50 years! This is a big deal because it’s going to be a competition with India, which is also planning to land a spacecraft on the moon this month.
The last time Russia sent something to the moon was way back in 1976, when it was still part of the Soviet Union. This time, they’re sending a craft called Luna-25. It’s going to be flying solo because the European Space Agency isn’t helping them. That’s because of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Luna-25 is set to reach the moon on August 23, around the same time as an Indian spacecraft that was launched on July 14. Both countries are aiming for a place on the moon’s south pole, which is a tricky spot that no one has landed on smoothly before, except for the Soviet Union, the United States, and China.
Russia wants to show that it can still send things to the moon and have access to its surface, even though they’re not focusing on studying the moon this time. Some experts think this is all about competition between big countries like China and the USA.
Russia had to change its plans a bit because of some issues with technology. The spacecraft was supposed to carry a small rover, but they decided to skip that to make it more reliable. Luna-25 will be launched from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome.
It’s pretty exciting because the moon’s south pole is a special place. Scientists think there might be water there in the shadowed craters. This could be super useful for future space missions, like making air and rocket fuel.
So, Russia is gearing up to explore the moon again and bring back important rock and dust samples. These samples will help us understand more about the moon and get ready for future missions there. The moon is like a cool untouched laboratory in the sky!
