Russia’s Luna-25 sends back first images from space

Source: The post is based on the article “Russia’s Luna-25 sends back first images from space”  published in Indian Express on 16th August 2023.

What is the News?

Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft has successfully captured and transmitted its first images from space.

Even though the Luna-25 was launched weeks after Chandrayaan-3, it could land on the Moon two days earlier. 

What is the Luna 25 Mission?

Launched by: Russia

Aim: To execute a pinpoint landing near the moon’s south pole, a region that has garnered scientific interest due to its potential for revealing critical insights into the moon’s geological composition. 

Objectives: To collect geological samples which will give scientists the opportunity to study this unexplored region of the moon.

– To find water or at least its building blocks which could aid in establishing human colonies in the near future. 

Significance: Russia’s Luna-25 mission is a bid to reclaim some of its prestige back as one of the leaders in space exploration. 

– The last successful lunar mission was the Luna-24 probe launched by the Soviet space programme in 1976.This mission returned with geographical samples which showed the presence of water on the moon.

– Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has tried to launch two landing missions to Mars–Mars-96 in 1996 and the Phobos Grunt in 2011.Both missions ended with the spacecraft crash-landing into the Pacific Ocean. 

How could Luna-25 reach the Moon before Chandrayaan-3?

Chandrayaan-3 was launched weeks before Russia’s Luna-25 and yet the Russian spacecraft could land on Moon earlier. 

The reasons for that are:

Firstly, Luna-25 weighs much less than Chandrayaan-3, so that it can travel faster. Compared to Chandrayaan-3 weighing 3,900 kg, Luna-25 weighs just 1,750 kg.

Secondly, Luna-25 can store more fuel, so it does not have any fuel efficiency concerns. 

How is Luna-25 different from Chandrayaan-3?

Rover: Apart from being lighter than the Indian mission, Luna-25 does not carry a rover. Chandrayaan-3 has a rover capable of moving around 500 meters.

Mission duration: The India mission is built to last only one lunar day or 14 earth days.This is because it does not have a heating mechanism to keep the electronics safe from the extreme cold temperatures during the lunar night.

– The Russian mission, on the other hand, will work for a year, meaning it has a heating mechanism as well as a power source other than just solar panels.