India and Russia are expected to make major progress in their lunar missions since their respective spacecraft, Chandrayaan-3 and Luna 25, will land on the Moon next week. The Indian mission launched first, but Russia made a more direct route and would arrive earlier.
India's Chandrayaan-3 Vs. Russia's Luna 25
An Indian mission called Chandrayaan-3 launched on July 14. Three weeks later, after making a leisurely, fuel-efficient approach to departing Earth, it finally made it into lunar orbit. Since then, it has been reducing its orbit in preparation for the Aug. 23 attempt by its lander to make a touchdown from a small, circular loop in its orbit.
The Russian probe Luna 25 did not launch until Aug 10. However, it chose a more direct path, arriving in lunar orbit on Aug. 16. On Aug. 21, just after daybreak, its operators hope to bring it to the surface at the landing spot.
Similar to Chandrayaan-3, that landing spot will be around 600 kilometers from the south pole of the Moon and at a far higher latitude than any previous landing. The area is interesting because it might have water ice below the surface or possibly frost at the surface in craters where the Sun never rises above the horizon.
Researchers want to know when and how that ice arrived. If the probes can discover it, the lunar ice may provide records of earlier events, just like the ice caps on Earth. Ice is viewed as a potential supply of oxygen, water, and rocket fuel by proponents of lunar habitation.
In November, an American mission will attempt to land on the rim of the Malapert crater, which is considerably closer to the pole than the Indian and Russian landing locations and is home to some mysterious permanently dark zones. Malapert is being considered for human exploration by scientists in China and America.
Success is not guaranteed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has not conducted a productive interplanetary mission. According to Yuri Borisov of the Russian space agency Roscomos, Luna 25 has a 70% chance of succeeding. India might be more assured now, thanks in part to its past failures.
When Chandrayaan-2 malfunctioned and crashed in September 2019, it was only a few kilometers above the surface. If it is successful, India will join the United States, the Soviet Union, and China as the fourth nation to have successfully completed a landing.
If Russia is successful, it will be repeating an action that its predecessor, a former superpower, considered commonplace.
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Luna 25's First Space Photo Released
After Luna 25 blasted off, there were various speculations about its health. However, on Monday, the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI RAS) published its first photo of space taken on Sunday.
The snap featured Luna 25 against the background of the Earth and Moon. The Russian spacecraft was reportedly around 192,625 miles from our planet at about 238,855 miles (384,400 km) away from the Moon at the time.
The photos were accompanied by a statement from IKI RAS shutting down the health rumors about its probe. IKI RAS confirmed that all systems are in good working order, communication with the station is stable, and there is a positive energy balance.
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