Category Archives: Russia

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 Apr 2021

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Russia Aims For First Moon South Pole Landing 2021 Q4 With Long-Awaited Luna-25

Roscosmos Plans Landing Slightly North Of Boguslawsky Crater (69.55°S, 43.54°E) With Launch NET 1 Oct / 30 Oct Backup; 6 Onboard Instruments Seeking Data On 2 Science Topics: Investigation Of Polar Regolith Composition And Plasma & Dust In Exosphere Study; Lander Equipped With Lunar Robotic Arm, Designed To Excavate 20-30cm Depth, Move 1-2cm3 Sample To LASMA-LR Laser Mass Spectrometer For Analysis; ADRON-LR & LIS-TV-RPM To Measure Water Content Via Neutron Sensing / IR; ARIES-L & PML To Quantify Dust And Charge Particles In Exosphere; STS-L To Image Local Landscape; Sequence To Continue Through Decade With Crewed Mission By 2030

Credits: Roscosmos, NPO Lavochkin

Tuesday / 6 Apr 2021

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IAF Global Space Exploration Conference 2021 To Mark Resumption Of In-Person International Space Conferences

St. Petersburg, Russia Is Host City Of International Astronautical Federation GLEX 2021 From 14–18 June, Coinciding With 60th Observance Of The First Human Spaceflight, Made By Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin In 1961; GLEX Is Intended As Forum To “Define Worldwide Efforts… For International Cooperation On Future Of Space Exploration” Per IAF President Pascale Ehrenfreund; Co-Chairs Sergei Krikalev And Christian Sallaberger To Present Robust Event Schedule Including Opening / Closing Socials, Plenary Program, Keynote Lectures And Technical Sessions; Discussion On Proposed International Lunar Research Station, “Open To All Interested Countries And International Partners”, Expected To Be Featured Prominently

Credits: IAF, Roscosmos

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 Mar 2021

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Two Major International Coalitions Of Earth Powers Forming To Advance Permanent Moon Activity

China And Russia To Collaborate On “Long-Term Autonomous” International Lunar Research Station “Open To All Interested Countries And International Partners” Per MoU; Timeframe And Location (Surface / Orbit) Not Designated; Artemis Accords Signatories Australia, Brazil*, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, UAE, UK, USA And Ukraine Advancing Gateway-Based Lunar Return Strategy With Human Landing System(s) To Be Selected Soon From SpaceX, Dynetics and Blue Origin Teams; Plan Hinges On SLS, Set For Final Hot Fire Test At Stennis Space Center 18 March And Transfer, If Test Successful, To KSC For Integration & Possible 2021 Launch

Credits: NASA, CNSA, Roscosmos
* Has signaled intent to sign

Tuesday / 16 Feb 2021

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Russia Moon Exploration Reboot Starts With Luna-25, Continues With Permanent Crewed Base


Russian Academy Of Sciences Council For Space Resolution Urges “Separate Lunar Subprogram” Be Formulated Within First Half Of 2021 Ahead Of Luna-25 Nominal Launch Date 1 Oct, With Goals Of Crewed Mission To Moon By 2030 And Permanent Base Of Operations Established By 2035, Reports State Media; Central Research Institute of Machine-Building, R&D Arm Of Roscosmos, Plans Initial Stage Of Base Construction 2032-3035; Soyuz / Progress / Sea Launch Contractor Energia Rocket And Space Corporation Envisions 3-7 Module, 2-4 Crew Russian Orbital Service Station After 2024

Credits: Roscosmos, VK

Tuesday / 5 Jan 2021

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Russia To Launch Luna-25 South Pole Lunar Exploration, Research, Prospecting 1 Oct

Set To Fly From Vostochny Cosmodrome Via Soyuz-2.1b, Destination: Boguslavsky Crater, Luna-Glob (Lunar Sphere) Program To Continue Where Soviets Left Off 45 Years Ago With Luna-25 And New Lunar Directorate Led By Roscosmos CEO Dmitry Rogozin; 9 Science Payloads Totaling 30 kg Include Mass-Spectrometer LASMA-LR, Exosphere Plasma Measurement Device ARIES-L, Panoramic Imager STS-L, Laser Retroreflector; Lander Constructed With ESA Contribution Of Pilot-D Landing System; Mission Series Continues With Luna 26-31, Culminating In MSP Robotic Base, Followed By Human Landings By Decade End With Orel (Eagle) Spacecraft

Credits: Roscosmos, NPO Lavochkin, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 7-10 Aug 2020

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Roscosmos Luna 25 To Moon South Pole Region 2021, And Japan ispace Hakuto-R 2022 Forge Ahead With Landing Plans

Russia Luna 25, Destined For Boguslavsky Crater Launching 1 Oct 2021 From Vostochny, Commences Science Instruments Integration; Its Soyuz Launch Secondary Payload Capacity Being Offered To Customers Via GK Launch Services; Hakuto-R Commercial Lander To Launch 2022 On SpaceX Falcon 9 Surpasses Critical Design Review; Now Plans For 30-kg Of Total Payloads To Be Delivered On Smaller, Light Craft (2.3-meter Tall, 2.6-meter Wide, 1,050-kg) Taking 2X As Long To Reach Moon Mid-Latitude Site; 2nd Lander On Track For 2023

Pictured: ispace Team Members; Credits: ispace, Lavochkin, Roscosmos, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 May 2020

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Roscosmos Contractor Signals Luna Program Readiness For 5 Moon Missions

In Videoconference With PM Putin, State-Owned Aerospace Company NPO Lavochkin Director Kolmykov States Luna-25 (Formerly Known As Luna-Glob) 1,750-kg Uncrewed Lander “In Assembly And First Trial Stages”, To Be Completed By March 2021, Launch To Boguslavsky Crater (72.9°S 43.3°E) On Soyuz-2-1b Fregat-M Expected 1 October 2021, Though Many Observers Skeptical; Lavochkin Is Also Manufacturer Of Upper Stage; 30-kg Payload On Luna-25 Consists Of 9 Instruments Including Mass-Spectrometer, Panoramic Imager, Laser Retroreflector; Luna-26-29 To See Large Rover And Sample Return

 

Credits: Roscosmos, Vladimir Kolmykov Via Twitter

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 20-23 Sep 2019

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China-Russia To Cooperate On Chang’e-7 And Luna-26

Roscosmos Head Dmitry Rogozin (L) And Zhang Keqiang Of CNSA (R) Sign Cooperation Agreement In Saint Petersburg; Zhongguo Planning Chang’e-5 Sample Return And Chang’e-6 Mission To South Pole On Long March 5 Booster; Russia Planning Luna-25 Landing In South Pole Region In 2021; Luna-26 Orbiter To Cooperate With Chang’e-7 In 2023-24; Russia Hoping For Lunar Sample Return In 2028; Both Nations Will Open Joint Data Center For Lunar And Deep Space Research

Credits: Roscosmos, IAF, NAOC

Tuesday / 16 July 2019

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Spektr-RG Launches To L2 Lagrangian Point, Location Of Observatories And Lunar Probe 

Russia Spektr-RG Launches To L2 Lagrangian Point Aboard Proton-M Booster Designed For Lunar Payloads, First Successful Russia Mission Beyond LEO Since Soviet Union; Payloads Are Astronomical Roentgen Telescope X-ray Concentrator (ART-XC) And Extended Roentgen Survey Imaging Telescope Array Built By Germany Max Planck Institute; Spektr-RG Will Survey Sky For Galaxy Clusters, Black Holes And Hypothetical ‘Dark’ Energy; Sun-Earth L2 Point Is Location Of ESA Gaia Space Observatory, Former Stop Of Planck Observatory And Chang’e-2 Lunar Probe

Credits: Russia Academy of Sciences, Roscosmos

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Apr 2019

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Major Spacefaring Powers Joined By Other Nations Reaching For Moon

Canada Launches US$150M Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) As USA Seeks Partners For Lunar Gateway; JAXA Investigates Using Robotics To Build Lunar Base; Germany PTScientists Rover May Launch In 2020; Russia Hopes To Develop Heavy Launcher For Moon Landings; Drop Test Delays India Chandrayaan-2 Until May; Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Operates During Its Fourth Lunar Day; Korea KSLV-II Booster Planned For 2021 Launch Of Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter; SpaceIL Beresheet In Orbit Photographs Hidden Side Of Moon

Credits: SpaceIL, ISRO, PTScientists, CNSA