The Luna-25 spacecraft was launched to the moon on Friday without any assistance from the European Space Agency.
Russia and India are in a space race, with Russia launching their first mission to the moon after almost 50 years.
The Luna-25 spacecraft was launched to the moon on Friday, marking Russia’s first attempt to achieve this feat since 1976 when it was a part of the Soviet Union. This was done without any assistance from the European Space Agency, which ended its collaboration with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian space agency Roscosmos has broadcasted live images of the launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome at 2:10am Moscow time on Friday (23:10 GMT Thursday).
The lander, which has a mass of roughly 800kg (1,750 pounds), is expected to reach the moon in five days.
The spacecraft will require a period of three to seven days to locate the appropriate location before it touches down in the lunar south pole area.
The lunar south pole will be the landing site for the first time in history, as announced by senior Roscosmos official Alexander Blokhin in a recent interview.
The lander is scheduled to arrive on the moon’s surface on August 23, which coincides with the launch of an Indian probe on July 14.
The two countries’ modules are destined for the lunar south pole, an area where no spacecraft has ever landed smoothly. Only three governments have conducted successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the United States, and China.
According to Roscosmos, the module will be operational for a year and provide soil samples for long-term scientific research on lunar surface material and the atmosphere.
The objective is to prove that Russia can transport a cargo to the moon and secure its uninterrupted access to it.
Russia’s space programme is being impacted by sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine, which makes it more difficult to access Western technology. The Luna-25 was originally intended to carry a small moon rover but was scrapped to reduce the weight of the craft for improved reliability, according to experts.
According to Vitaliy Egorov, a well-known Russian space expert, domestic electronics are heavier than those made in foreign countries.
According to journalist Daniel Hawkins, the mission was a significant return to major space missions for Russia after extending their break.
Speaking from his headquarters in Moscow, Hawkins told Al Jazeera that the Soviet Union’s legacy of space launches is well-known.
The Russian space institute experienced a decline after the Soviet Union’s collapse and the launch of the last probe to the moon in 1976, according to him.
Hawkins stated that a successful Moon mission would demonstrate that Russia, despite its turbulent history and the impact of Western sanctions on its space development, can still undertake significant missions.
The speaker stated that it would demonstrate its ability to compete on the global stage by utilizing equipment made in Russia, which is their own brand.
Russia’s latest space landing attempts in 2016 and 2011 were unsuccessful.
The term ‘political battle’ is frequently used in political discussions.
Egorov stated that the goal is not to study the moon, but to engage in political confrontations with China and the USA, as well as other nations vying for dominance in the space domain.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s priority is to establish Russia as a space superpower and move the Russian launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan into orbit, which includes the spaceport.
Putin announced at the Vostochny Cosmodrome last year that the Soviet Union had successfully sent the first man into space in 1961, despite a total sanction regime.
Despite the economic sanctions imposed by the West during the Ukraine war, he asserted that Russia would enhance its lunar program.
Putin stated that the desire of our predecessors to progress despite obstacles and external interference was their driving force.
In 2019, the Indian lander had to make another attempt to reach the moon’s south pole after it crashed into the lunar surface.
Scientists are particularly interested in finding evidence of water in the polar craters that remain shadowed from moon and scientists believe even there is a chance water within them could be preserved in frozen rock, where water could transform into air and rocket fuel for future explorers.
Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, stated that the moon is virtually unspoiled and has its own laboratory.
The Luna-25 is expected to collect samples of moon rock and dust, which are essential for comprehending the moon’s environment before constructing a base there. If this fails, we may not be able to continue building or close down until six months later due to the sand blast generated by the Moon, according to Bloomer.