Deep | Return to the Moon! Russia plans to launch its first lunar probe since 1976, the Lunar 25, this week | the first lunar probe since 1976 | returning to the moon | Russia

Following the launch of the Indian lunar probe "Luna 3" last month, Russia also plans to send the "Luna 25" probe to the South Pole of the Moon on August 11th. The last lunar landing of the Russian lunar probe can be traced back to 1976's Lunar 24. Why did Russia return to the moon after nearly half a century, and why did it choose to land at the south pole of the moon?

Restart lunar exploration

In 47 years, Russia will once again resume its long dormant lunar exploration activities.

According to the Russian National Space Corporation, the Russian "Luna 25" probe is scheduled to take off from the Dongfang Space Launch Site in the early hours of August 11th Moscow time. The main task of this launch is to send the probe to the South Pole of the Moon, explore water ice and other resources, and verify soft landing technology.

The last Russian probe to reach the moon was "Luna 24", launched in 1976. Its return module brought back approximately 170 grams of lunar soil to Earth.

Nearly half a century later, Russia is seeking to restart and develop the pioneering space program of the Soviet era. The launch of "Luna 25" is the first domestically produced lunar probe in modern Russia, and will also follow the name of the "Moon" series of probes from the Soviet era.

According to TASS, "Luna 25" will be sent to the South Pole of the Moon and land near Boguswavsky Crater. Afterwards, the probe will conduct long-term research on the moon, and the research work plan will last for one year.

Lunar 25 will also serve as a prelude to Russia's future lunar exploration plans.

According to the Russian satellite news agency, after the "Moon 25" goes to the moon, the launch missions of the "Moon 26" automatic orbiter and the "Moon 27" lander will be carried out around 2027 and 2028 respectively, the latter will be equipped with various payloads such as lunar soil drilling devices. Moon 28 plans to collect samples of the lunar weathering layer and bring them back to Earth.

Subsequently, Russia will begin its manned lunar landing program and plan to build a comprehensive lunar base to carry out lunar exploration, astronomical observation, and resource development and utilization.

Just before the launch of the "Luna 25" program, the Indian lunar probe "Luna 3" was launched on July 14th, with the same target aimed at the south pole of the moon. External concerns: Is it possible for Russia to take the lead and become the first country to land on the South Pole of the Moon?

According to the Indian Space Research Organization's announcement on August 5th, "Luna 3" entered lunar orbit on the same day and is expected to attempt to land on the moon on the 23rd or 24th.

But Moon 25 may come from behind. The Russian National Space Group stated that after taking off on August 11th, the "Luna 25" program will take 5 days to enter near lunar orbit, followed by another 5 to 7 days to land at one of three possible landing points. This means that if everything goes smoothly, Russia's lunar probe may land on the surface of the moon two to three days earlier than India's.

Regarding this, Wang Yanan, an aviation expert at Beihang University and editor in chief of "Aviation Knowledge", stated that for India, the goal of "rushing to launch" Lungshan-3 "is to achieve two major goals: first, to become the fourth country to land on the surface of the moon after the United States, the Soviet Union, and China. The second is to set the record for the first country to land on the South Pole of the Moon.

But for Russia, competing for second place may not be the main goal. The Russian lunar exploration mission was originally planned to be launched in 2021, but due to slow progress, it has been postponed multiple times. After the conflict between Russia-Ukraine conflict, the domestic and international situation in Russia has changed dramatically, and the original important equipment of the European Space Agency to be carried on the "Moon 25" has also been cancelled. Russia has to adjust again, and is only now ready. However, in terms of strength, the conditions for Russia to achieve a rapid lunar landing are relatively mature, while India still faces certain challenges and risks.

Pang Zhihao, the chief scientific communication expert of national space exploration technology, also believes that although the launch of "Luna 25" was relatively late, it is still possible to land before "Luna 3". This is mainly due to the strong capability of Russian launch vehicles and their rich experience in lunar exploration, which can directly send probes into the Earth Moon transfer orbit, while India needs to accelerate multiple times in Earth orbit and decelerate multiple times after entering the Earth Moon transfer orbit to ensure landing.

Why return to the moon?

In 1957, shortly after the successful launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, the Soviet Union began exploring the moon. Afterwards, the Soviet Union launched a total of 24 lunar probes, and the last lunar exploration mission came to an end in 1976.

Why does Russia want to return to the moon almost half a century later, and why did it choose to land at the south pole of the moon? Analysts believe that this moon landing mission has both scientific significance and political considerations.

From a scientific research perspective, the South Pole of the Moon may contain a large amount of water ice, which can lay the foundation for establishing a lunar base and further conducting deep space exploration in the future.

Pang Zhihao stated that water ice can not only support the work and life of astronauts, but also decompose into hydrogen and oxygen, which can be used as launch fuel for spacecraft. Whether establishing a base for lunar exploration or using the moon as a springboard to land on Mars and explore deep space, the existence of water ice is of great significance.

"Not only India and Russia, but also the South Pole of the Moon will be a crucial location for the next stage of human lunar exploration." Wang Yanan said that whether the South Pole of the Moon has water ice and how much storage it has is an urgent issue for humans to understand. In the next stage, countries around the world, including China, will turn their attention to the South Pole of the Moon, which will be a major trend.

From a political perspective, Russia also hopes to use the opportunity of returning to the moon to reshape its image as a space power.

"It has been 47 years since the last launch of a lunar probe, and Russia hopes to establish prestige in deep space exploration and lunar exploration." Wang Yanan said that space exploration is the pinnacle of human technology, and space is also a new frontier for human living space. The establishment of a scientific research base on the moon signifies the overall level of science and technology of a country. Russia has never forgotten that it is a great country and once a technological powerhouse. Therefore, despite facing difficulties, Russia still has ambitions and hopes to occupy an important position in lunar exploration.

On the other hand, if "Moon 25" successfully lands, it can also help Russia rally people's hearts again under heavy pressure. "Once the landing is successful, the first probe to land on the South Pole of the Moon will be labeled as Russia. This can also show the Russian people that Russia has not lost its status as a space power," said Wang Yanan.

Pang Zhihao also believes that the 24 lunar probes launched during the Soviet era have set multiple firsts in human history, including the first visit to the moon and the first sampling and return from the moon. After years of preparation, Russia, like India, has aimed at the South Pole of the moon, which has never been explored before. If it can land first, it will give Russia another "world number one".

However, two experts also pointed out that due to the complex terrain of the South Pole of the Moon, extremely low temperatures, and limited human knowledge of the South Pole, Russia's decision to land at the South Pole of the Moon still carries certain risks.

The Lunar Exploration Rush Presents New Characteristics

"The moon is the seventh continent of the Earth, and we are 'destined' to tame it," said Lev Zelene, director of the Institute of Space Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, in an interview with Reuters.

Like Russia, countries around the world are turning their attention to the moon, and the "lunar exploration boom" has once again arrived. Experts point out that the new wave of lunar exploration is showing different characteristics.

Firstly, lunar exploration has presented a multipolar competition. "Unlike the Cold War era, the new wave of lunar exploration is not only monopolized by the United States and the Soviet Union, but also involves more countries," said Pang Zhihao.

Wang Yanan also believes that currently, countries around the world are pinning their hopes on the moon. The moon not only contains abundant mineral resources and is expected to solve the Earth's energy crisis, but may also become a outpost for human space launches, helping humanity move towards deeper space. Therefore, many countries consider lunar exploration as the first step.

It is reported that in addition to Russia's "Moon" series program and India's "Moonship" program, the United States' "Artemis" program is also gradually advancing. At the end of last year, the first step of the return to the moon program, the "Artemis 1" unmanned lunar orbit mission, was completed. NASA expects to send two astronauts to the moon as early as 2025, achieving the goal of human return to the moon.

China has also successfully implemented the missions from Chang'e-1 to Chang'e-5, achieving a successful conclusion to the strategic plan of "orbiting, landing, and returning" for the lunar exploration project. Recently, China also announced the initial plan for manned lunar landing, with plans to achieve scientific exploration before 2030.

Secondly, lunar exploration nowadays is no longer just a national team operation. Many private enterprises have also joined the same track with numerous participants, including the American space exploration technology company and the Japanese space startup ispace.

In February 2019, the Genesis lunar probe, manufactured by a private Israeli agency, embarked on a journey to the moon aboard the American Falcon 9 rocket. Although the world's first non-state-initiated lunar mission failed due to technical malfunctions, it also marked the beginning of civilian exploration of the moon.

Pang Zhihao believes that the participation of more countries will make international cooperation more diversified. For example, China and Russia have previously announced the launch of the International Lunar Research Station project, which is planned to be completed by 2035. The intervention of commercial airlines will reduce the cost of lunar exploration. A batch of small and sophisticated products adopting new technologies are bound to promote more achievements in lunar exploration.