Watch: Russia's Rocket Carrying First Lunar Mission in Nearly 50 Years, Luna-25, Lifts Off

09:31, 11 August 2023
Luna-25 is part of the Russian lunar program for the exploration and practical use of the Moon and its orbit to establish a fully automated lunar base. The last Soviet spacecraft sent to the Earth's satellite was launched in 1976 and was called Luna-24.
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A Soyuz 2.1b carrier rocket with Russia's first lunar mission in 47 years, the nearly 800-kilogram Luna-25, has taken off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East.
The Fregat upper stage, carrying the module, has already reached Earth's orbit and separated from the rocket.
The second leg will be the flight of Luna-25 to the Moon, which will take about five days. Then, on August 21 or 22, Luna-25 is expected to commence a soft landing at the Moon's South Pole, an area with more challenging terrain.
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