Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS
‘Catch the liftoff live at 7:10 pm Eastern Time – Watch it here!’
Russia Sets Sights on the Moon in Bid for Global Influence
Russia is making a bold move to reestablish itself as a major world power by embarking on a lunar mission, following its recent conflict with Ukraine. The upcoming launch of the Luna-25 spacecraft, which will be Russia’s first lunar mission since 1976, aims to land on the moon’s south pole and explore the possibility of extracting water ice from beneath its surface. You can watch the launch here.
Scheduled to lift off from the Vostochny spaceport in eastern Russia at 7:10 pm Eastern time, the Soyuz 2.1v rocket carrying the lander seeks to achieve the first soft landing on the Moon’s south pole. In 2020, NASA confirmed the presence of water molecules in sunlit areas on the Moon’s surface, making the prospect of recoverable water a game-changer for future lunar exploration, including providing life support, fuel through extracted hydrogen, and potential agriculture.
Russia’s lunar mission also serves as a strategic move to demonstrate its resilience in the face of Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The name of the spacecraft, Luna-25, pays homage to the Soviet Space Program, evoking an era when the Soviet Union was an indisputable global superpower. This aligns with President Vladimir Putin’s vision of projecting Russian preeminence on the world stage.
Interestingly, Russia is engaged in a race with India, which launched its Chandrayaan-3 mission on July 14th and recently entered the Moon’s orbit. India’s spacecraft is scheduled to reach the Moon’s south pole on August 23rd, potentially overlapping with Russia’s mission timeline. Both countries are vying to be the first to achieve significant milestones in lunar exploration.
Upon reaching the Moon, Luna-25 is set to conduct a series of experiments using its 68 lbs of research equipment over the course of approximately one year. Equipped with a scoop capable of capturing samples up to 15 cm (six inches) deep, the spacecraft will focus on the search for frozen water.
The launch stream for the Luna-25 mission will be available below, starting at around 7:10 pm EDT.