VOSTOCHNY COSMODROME (Amur region), 11 Aug. The launch of the Luna-25 automatic station is a new page in the development of the Earth's satellite and the start of the first phase of the long-term lunar program, said Yury Borisov, head of Roscosmos.
«It is especially important that this is a new page in the exploration of the Moon, the practical exploration of the Moon. We will carry out this work together with our Chinese colleagues — this is the start of the first phase of the long-term lunar program,» Borisov said.
The Soyuz 2.1b rocket was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome at 2.11 Moscow time. Nine minutes later, the Fregat upper stage with the Luna-25 station separated from the third stage of the rocket and entered low Earth orbit.
«Luna-25» should be the first station to make a soft landing in the area of the South Pole of the Moon with a difficult terrain. All her predecessors landed in the equatorial zone. The main purpose of the station is to conduct contact studies of the lunar soil for the presence of ice.
«Luna-25» will also be the first lunar station in the history of modern Russia. The last Soviet spacecraft sent to the Earth's satellite was launched in 1976 and was called «Luna-24».
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