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21/08/23 13:01 PM IST

Russia’s Luna 25

In News
  • Luna-25, modern Russia’s first attempt to land a spacecraft on the Moon, has ended in failure with the spacecraft crashing onto the lunar surface.
Luna-25
  • A Soyuz 2.1v rocket carrying the Luna-25 craft blasted off from the Vostochny cosmodrome, 5,550 kilometers east of Moscow, on August 11.
  • As per Russia’s Space chief, the lander is expected to touch down on the moon on August 21.
  • India’s mission to the moon cannot land before August 23, when it will be lunar dawn at the landing site.
  • Luna-25, roughly the size of a small car, will aim to operate for a year on the moon's south pole.
Difference between Luna-25 and Chandaryaan
  • 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 metres.
  • Scientific study- The Russian lander has eight payloads mainly to study the soil composition, dust particles in the polar exosphere, and most importantly, detect surface water.
  • The Indian mission also has scientific instruments to study the lunar soil as well as water-ice.
  • The location near the southern pole was chosen because of the presence of craters that remain in permanent shadow, increasing the likelihood of finding water-ice.
  • 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 heating mechanism as well as a power source other than just solar panels.
Source- Indian Express

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