Luna-25: Russia’s First Lunar Lander Sends Back Its First Images from Space
Image captured by Luna-25 on August 13, showing the mission emblem attached to the spacecraft. (Photo: IKI RAS)
The Luna-25 spacecraft launched into space at 7:10 PM local time on August 10 (6:10 AM on August 11 Hanoi time) atop a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region of Russia. This is the first domestically produced lunar probe to be launched by Russia in modern history. Previously, the closest lunar mission was Luna-24, which launched in 1976 and returned about 170 grams of samples.
Luna-25 Captures First Images on August 13, which were announced by the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI RAS) on August 14. The black-and-white images show the Russian flag and the mission emblem on the spacecraft, with Earth and the Moon glowing against the backdrop of dark space.
The images were taken approximately 310,000 km from Earth, according to IKI RAS. For comparison, the average distance between the Moon and Earth is 384,400 km.
Luna-25 captures Earth (left) and the Moon (right) from a distance of 310,000 km. (Photo: IKI RAS).
The new images alleviate concerns regarding Luna-25 post-launch, demonstrating that the spacecraft is operating well and is en route to its destination. “All systems on the spacecraft are functioning normally, communication with the control station remains stable, and the energy balance is very favorable,” stated IKI RAS.
If all goes as planned, Luna-25 will reach its destination by mid-month, after which it will orbit the Moon for 5 to 7 days. From there, the spacecraft will attempt to land near one of three craters around the Moon’s south pole. The spacecraft is designed to operate for at least one year.
While on the lunar surface, Luna-25 will analyze soil and rock, search for water ice, and conduct experiments on the thin atmosphere of this celestial body. The lander carries eight scientific instruments, including a laser spectrometer and a device capable of firing into rock samples to analyze the resulting dust for chemical composition.
Luna-25 is just one of many missions worldwide aimed at exploring or landing near the Moon’s south pole. South Korea launched the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) in August 2022, carrying NASA’s ShadowCam to search for water ice near the south pole. India’s Chandrayaan 3 entered lunar orbit on August 7 and is expected to land near the south pole on August 23. NASA’s Artemis program aims to land humans near the Moon’s south pole as early as 2025 during the Artemis 3 mission.
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