The launch of the Luna-25 automatic interplanetary station from the
Vostochny Cosmodrome has been reconfirmed and is scheduled for the second
possible launch window (the period when the spacecraft launched from the
Earth, taking into account its design features and power-to-weight ratio,
will optimally reach its destination along a given trajectory) in May 2022.
The shift to the second launch window was caused by the need to further
confirm the declared characteristics of Luna-25 devices, assemblies and
propulsion system, revealed during ground testing, in conditions as close as
possible to outer space that can be achieved on Earth.
The currently completed tests, which are critically important for
ground-based experimental development of the spacecraft, revealed the need
for additional research, including taking into account the ballistic
conditions of the flight to the Moon. Even taking into account the fact that
the spacecraft is now fully equipped with standard instruments and systems,
there is a need to carry out checks to ensure the required reliability of
the first Russian mission to the moon.
The measures will enable Roscosmos specialists to additionally check the
functioning of the onboard equipment, including testing the electrical
docking of the components, the behavior and typical sessions in accordance
with the flight sequence, taking into account the factors discovered during
the ground tests.
The Luna-25 space project is being created using the latest achievements in
the field of space instrumentation and taking into account the experience of
previous lunar expeditions of NPO Lavochkin (part of Roscosmos).
In addition, as part of the preparation of the Luna-25 mission, it is
planned to implement additional measures taking into account the
recommendations after the analysis of the Nauka MLM launch results. This
project opens a long-term Russian lunar program, which includes missions to
study the Moon from orbit and surface, collect and return lunar soil to
Earth, as well as construct a visited lunar base and perform full-scale
development of our satellite in the future, including in cooperation with
the Chinese National Space Administration within a large-scale project to
create an International Scientific Lunar Station.
The Luna-25 spacecraft consists of two main structural parts. The lower part
is a landing module with supporting feet that ensure safe contact with the
surface. The station propulsion system is also fixed on it, ensuring the
flight trajectory correction, deceleration during deorbiting and a soft
landing. The upper part is an unpressurized instrument compartment. It
contains solar panels, a thermal control system radiator, the station's
electronic equipment, scientific instruments, and an energy source. The main
task of this mission is to develop basic soft landing technologies in the
circumpolar region and conduct contact studies of a given region of the
Moon's South Pole. The Luna-25 space expedition is an important step in
space exploration. It will allow reaching a qualitatively new level in Moon
exploration and give a different angle of view of the Solar System
planets development prospects, to understand the planetary genesis
mechanisms, the appearance of water and, consequently, life on Earth.