Both Russia’s Luna-25 and India’s Chandrayaan-3 are expected to reach the Moon on August 23, 2023. Roscosmos, the Russian space agency that launched Luna-25, has said that its landing on the Moon will allow India’s Chandrayaan-3 to land on the Moon. There will be no hindrance as the landing areas of both the missions are different. Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14 July 2023. Luna-25 was launched on 11 August 2023 from Russia’s Vostochny Spaceport. Luna-25 is expected to reach the Moon on 23 August 2023, the same day as Chandrayaan- 3 is also likely to land on the lunar surface. The landing areas of Luna-25 and Chandrayaan-3 are different. So there is no danger that they will collide.
Luna-25 is stationary; it will not move on the surface of the Moon. Luna-25 will land on the moon in several stages. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) plans to land the lander and rover of Chandrayaan-3 on August 23, 2023 at 5.47 pm near the south pole region of the Moon. Russia’s Luna- 25 with a lander and a rover will be in a 100 km lunar orbit by August 16, 2023.
Luna-25
- Luna-25 was launched by Russia on 10 August 2023.
- It will reach the south pole of the Moon on 23 August 2023.
- Luna-25 is a four-legged lander weighing 800 kg.
- Russia had earlier landed Luna-24 on the moon in 1976.
- This lander will work on the lunar surface for one year.
Objectives of Luna-25
- To search for water on the Moon.
- Will analyze the lunar soil sample.
- Soft-landing technology has to be developed.
- Research on the internal structure of the moon and search for other important things including water.
Chandrayaan-3
- Chandrayaan-3 was launched on 14 July 2023
- Unlike Chandrayaan-2, Chandrayaan-3 does not have an orbiter.
- Instead it is focused on demonstrating the ability to safely land and orbit on the lunar surface.
- The mission includes advanced technologies in the lander, such as laser and RF-based altimeters, laser Doppler velocimeter, etc.
Objectives of Chandrayaan-3
- Demonstrating a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface.
- To demonstrate the capabilities of walking on the Moon.
- To conduct scientific experiments in situ on the surface of the Moon.