The intriguing race for lunar exploration has recently taken an unexpected turn with Russia’s Luna 25 mission launched on its Soyuz rocket on August 10, 2023. Scheduled to soft-land near the lunar South Pole, this mission has captured the world’s attention as it closely follows India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission. Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, has stated that Luna 25’s landing would have no effect on the Chandrayaan-3 as the landing sites are distinct.
Why Luna 25 is Reaching Moon Earlier than Chandrayaan-3?
Luna 25 seems to be reaching earlier to the moon despite its launch almost a month later than Chandrayaan-3. The trajectory plays a major role here. Luna 25 takes a more direct trajectory while Chandrayaan-3 opts for a longer route to compensate for a lower fuel reserve. Consequently, Chandrayaan-3’s path requires maneuvers to increase velocity and slingshot towards the moon, prolonging its journey by 22 days.
Moreover, Luna 25’s lift-off mass of 1,750 kg allows a quicker voyage in comparison to Chandrayaan-3’s weighty 3,900 kg. The former also benefits from an early lunar dawn at its landing site, ensuring full power from its solar panel during the lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days.
Differences between Luna 25 and Chandrayaan 3
Luna 25, marking Russia’s return to lunar exploration after 47 years, is distinct from Chandrayaan-3, India’s third lunar mission and its second attempt at achieving a soft landing on the lunar surface. Luna 25 has fewer payloads mainly focused on studying soil composition, dust particles, and detecting surface water, while Chandrayaan-3 carries more instruments including a rover and tools to detect water-ice in shadowed craters near the lunar South Pole.
Luna 25 is designed for a year-long mission and is equipped with heating mechanisms and a non-solar power source. However, Chandrayaan-3 is constructed for a single lunar day due to the lack of heating during lunar nights.
Objective of the Lunar Missions
Both Luna 25 and Chandrayaan-3 share some objectives. The Russian lander possesses eight payloads to study soil composition, polar exosphere dust particles, and surface water. Similarly, the Indian mission carries scientific instruments to examine the lunar soil and detect water-ice. Distinctly, the Indian mission has chosen its landing site near the southern pole due to the craters’ permanent shadow, thus increasing the chances of finding water-ice.
India-Russia Space Collaboration Status
India’s space journey started with its first satellite, Aryabhata, launched by the Soviet Union in 1975. Later, in 1984, Rakesh Sharma became the only Indian citizen to travel to space as part of the USSR’s Interkosmos program. Since then, India and Russia have worked together on multiple space exploration endeavors, highlighted by their 2004 agreement boosting cooperation in space, including GLONASS navigation system development, and launching Russian GLONASS satellites through Indian rockets.
Chandrayaan-2 was initially planned to be a joint mission between India and Russia. Though Russia withdrew from designing the lander-rover for Chandrayaan-2, this led to India developing it independently. Presently, four astronauts preparing for India’s first crewed space mission, Gaganyaan, are being trained in Russian facilities.