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| The launch of Russia's Luna-25 lander on August 11. (Source: Roscosmos) |
“For the first time in the modern history of Russia, an automated spacecraft was launched into lunar orbit at 12:03 p.m. Moscow time (09:03 GMT),” a Roscosmos spokesman said.
“All Luna-25 systems are functioning normally and communication with the spacecraft is stable,” the spokesman added. Cameras installed on the lander captured images of the Earth and the Moon in the distance.
The probe is expected to orbit 100 km above the Moon's surface before landing as planned on August 21 north of Boguslawsky crater on the Moon's south pole.
Previously, on August 11, Luna-25 was launched from Vostochny, a launch site 5,500 km from Moscow, using a Soyuz 2.1b rocket. During its journey, Luna-25 is expected to carry out a research mission at the Moon's South Pole on water resources, cosmic rays and electromagnetic emissions on the surface of this Earth satellite.
With Russia’s first such mission in nearly 50 years (since 1976), the country is looking to restart and rebuild its pioneering Soviet space program. In mid-July, India also launched its Chandrayaan-3 lander, which later successfully entered lunar orbit.
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