Meet Chandrayaan-3's Russian competitor. Launch on Friday, but could reach Moon sooner

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, is all set to launch its moon mission Luna 25 for the lunar south pole in the early hours of Friday, reviving Soviet Union-era lunar exploration.

This comes just four weeks after India launched its own lunar lander, Chandrayaan-3, which is scheduled to make a soft touch down at the Moon's south pole on August 23.

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Who will reach faster? India's Chandrayaan-3 or Russia's Luna 25

Roscosmos stated that its Luna 25 spacecraft will take about five days to travel to the Moon. It will then spend around five to seven days in lunar orbit before descending to one of three potential landing sites near the pole, reported Reuters.

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This timeline indicates that Russia's mission could reach the lunar surface around the same time as or shortly before the Indian mission.

Roscosmos, however, assured that the two missions won't interfere with each other, as they have separate landing areas planned. The Russian Space Agency stated, “There is no danger that they interfere with each other or collide. There is enough space for everyone on the moon,” Reuters added.

Key differences between Luna 25 and Chandrayaan-3 missions

Scientific Objectives:

The Luna 25 mission aims to study the composition of the lunar polar regolith (surface material) and the plasma and dust components of the lunar polar exosphere, according to the United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Chandrayaan-3 aims to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, rover mobility, and in-situ scientific experiments, said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Lander structure:

Luna 25's lander features a four-legged base housing landing rockets and propellant tanks. An upper compartment contains solar panels, communication equipment, onboard computers, and scientific instruments.

Chandrayaan-3 consists of an indigenous lander module (LM), a propulsion module (PM), and a rover. The rover is equipped with scientific payloads for chemical analysis of the lunar surface.

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Payloads:

Luna 25 carries eight science instruments, including gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers, infrared spectrometers, mass spectrometers, and imaging systems.

The Chandrayaan-3 lander carries payloads like Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) and Langmuir Probe (LP), while the rover carries instruments like Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS).

Landing Site:

The primary landing site for Luna 25 is near the lunar south pole, with a reserve site located southwest of the Manzini crater.

Chandrayaan-3's landing site is located at specific lunar coordinates in the southern region, with dimensions of 4 km x 2.4 km.

Mission duration:

Luna 25's lander is expected to operate on the lunar surface, studying regolith and exospheric dust and particles, for approximately one year.

The mission life of Chandrayaan-3's lander and rover is approximately one lunar day (around 14 Earth days).

Launch Vehicles:

Luna-25 will launch using a Soyuz-2 Fregat booster.

The chosen launch vehicle for Chandrayaan-3 was the e Launch Vehicle Mark-III M4 rocket.

Why Moon's south pole is so valued target?

Although the south pole of the Moon has challenging terrain for landing, it is a highly valued target because scientists believe it could contain substantial amounts of ice, potentially useful for extracting fuel, oxygen, and even drinking water.