Category Archives: Russia

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

Friday / 22 Mar 2019

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Multiple Moon March Activities Planned By Commercial Industry And Nations Including USA

Current Lunar Activities Include SpaceIL Beresheet On Course To Vicinity Of Moon By 4 April And Planned Landing 11 Apr; 6-Person International Crew Of SIRIUS-19 In Moscow Simulating 122-Day Lunar Mission; Astrobotic Uses LIDAR-Equipped Drone To Map Iceland Lava Tube In Preparation For Lunar Applications; Japan, Canada And Lockheed Martin Plan Modules For Moon Orbit; US National Space Council Meets 26 Mar As NASA Plans Lunar Rover In 2023; Administrator Jim Bridenstine Says Next Human Landings Will Include First Woman On The Moon

Credits: SpaceIL, NASA, Astrobotic, DLR

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 31 Aug – 3 Sep 2018

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Roscosmos, ESA Collaborate On Luna 27 Payload For Moon South Pole Resource Investigation

ESA Developing In-Situ Drill / Sample-Analysis Payload ‘PROSPECT’ To Reach Moon South Pole-Aitken Basin 2022-23 Aboard Roscosmos Luna 27 Lander; Design Phase Scheduled Early 2019; ProSEED Drill To Probe Lunar Ice Where Subsurface Temperatures Could Reach -200° C; ProSPA Onboard Laboratory To Heat Ice Sample To 1,000° C For Volatile Extraction; ESA May Participate On Luna 25 Lander Aiming For Boguslavsky Crater Near South Pole NET 2019-20

Credits: Roscosmos, ESA, NASA, L. David