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Russia’s Luna-25 mission is set to land on the south pole of the moon, just two days before India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission. Luna-25, an unmanned lunar spacecraft, was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia on August 10, marking Russia’s return to lunar exploration after 47 years. The spacecraft is expected to orbit the moon for about 5 days before attempting to land at the Boguslawsky crater, 500 kilometers away from the south pole.

Both Luna-25 and Chandrayaan-3 aim to gather scientific information from the moon’s south pole, which is considered a promising location for finding water ice due to permanent shadows and colder temperatures. Luna-25 has a lower cost compared to Chandrayaan-3, but they have significant structural differences. Luna-25 has a stationary landing module, while Chandrayaan-3 features both a landing module and a rover.

Luna-25 is equipped with eight scientific instruments, including the lunar manipulator complex designed for excavating lunar regolith and the Neutron and gamma detector (ADRON-LR) for detecting water ice. Chandrayaan-3, on the other hand, aims to investigate the moon’s atmosphere, study its mineral composition, and capture images of the lunar surface using its lander Vikram and rover Pragyaan.

Russia’s lunar mission comes at a time when its global image has been tarnished due to the Ukraine crisis. The mission is expected to showcase Russia’s technological capabilities and leadership in space exploration. It will be closely observed by European and American countries, who have imposed sanctions on Russia, as well as non-Western countries interested in collaborating with Russia on space technologies.

After more than 40 years since its last lunar mission, Russia is hoping for the success of Luna-25. Similarly, India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission will also be closely watched, following the failure of Chandrayaan-2’s lander. Both missions represent significant advancements in their respective space programs and signify the continuous exploration of the moon’s mysteries.

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