LUNA-25 MISSION (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 - Sci & Tech)

Context: Russia will launch its first lunar landing spacecraft, Luna-25 spacecraft,  in 47 years on Friday in a race with India to the south pole of the moon, a potential source of water to support a future human presence there.

• Luna-25 spacecraft would take five days to fly to the moon and then spend five to seven days in lunar orbit before descending on one of three possible landing sites near the pole - a timetable that implies it could match or narrowly beat its Indian rival to the moon's surface.
• The launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome, 3,450 miles (5,550 km) east of Moscow, will take place four weeks after India sent up its Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander, due to touch down at the pole on Aug. 23.

Luna 25

• The Mission will carry a lander. The primary objective of Luna 25 is to prove landing technology.
• It is to carry thirty kilo grams of scientific instruments including a robotic arm and drilling hardware to collect soil samples.
• It will study the exosphere around the south pole of the moon. 
• The project is financed by Roscosmos.