Russia wants to stay in the space race, it is launching a rocket that will go to the moon tonight

The first in 50 years. The Russian space agency Roscosmos should launch a rocket on the night of Thursday, August 10 to Friday, August 11, towards the south pole of the Moon, in order to land a probe there. It will be the first machine to go in this direction since 1976. The mission, called Luna-25, aims to demonstrate Russia’s desire to relaunch itself in the space race.

Hard-to-reach area

The Soyuz rocket will lift off from the Vostochny cosmodrome, located in far eastern Russia, at 8:10 a.m. local time (so it’s 1:10 a.m. in Paris). The latter will have to launch a probe, about 800 kilograms, at the south pole of the Moon.

The rocket must reach lunar orbit 5 days after its launch, then stay for 3 to 7 days on the latter before choosing a landing site, according to AFP. BFM TV. The probe will then have to “take soil and analyze it” and “carry out long-term scientific research,” the Russian space agency details.

But this region of the moon is a bit more difficult to reach and explore. The head of Roscosmos told Vladimir Putin during a meeting in June that “the probability of success of such missions is estimated at 70%.”

strength demonstration

In addition to the scientific objective, it is a mission with geopolitical stakes, the projection of power as Russia knows well, the heir of the great communal union. Despite the conflict in Ukraine, the master of the Kremlin has clearly shown his desire to continue his space adventure, as the West did with the first man in space in 1961.

“We are guided by the ambition of our predecessors to move forward, despite external difficulties and attempts that prevent us from doing so,” said Vladimir Putin, referring to the severed Roscosmos partnerships.

The space race is necessary for Russia. It’s a kind of national pride because the Soviets launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, or even sent the first animal into orbit, a dog named Laïka. Even if the USSR was preceded by the American with Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon in 1969.

the challenge

Therefore, this mission is crucial for Russia. It is a “technology demonstration”, according to consultant and expert in the field of space Mathieu Lewinod, quoted Parisian.

In fact, the challenge of placing this probe weighing several hundred kilograms on the moon is a challenge that many countries such as India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates and China would like to take on. Although, in August 2021, China and Russia signed an agreement to build a space station that will be located either on the Earth’s Moon or in satellite orbit.