Luna 25 was a Russian mission to the Moon\u2019s surface that was planned to set down near the Boguslawsky Crater in the lunar south pole on 21 August 2023.<\/p> It was expected to operate here for at least a year.<\/p> The Luna 25 mission had two primary goals \u2013 to study the composition of the lunar soil, known as regolith<\/a>; and examine the plasma and dust components of the polar exosphere.<\/p> The exosphere is the tenuous \u2018atmosphere\u2019 around the Moon produced by gases released from the lunar surface, such as radon and helium.<\/p> It is incredibly thin, with an atmospheric pressure 25 trillion times less than Earth.<\/p> Luna 25 was equipped with a 1.6m long Lunar Robotic Arm, which would have been used to collect samples to a depth of 20 to 30cm.<\/p> It also had a suite of spectrometers to determine the elements of the soil and atmosphere.<\/p> Luna 25 was equipped with ablation laser that would zap the lunar surface, vaporising the rock so the gases given off could be analysed.<\/p> It also had a camera for taking both panoramic views of the surrounding area, and close up shots to help with analysing the local terrain.<\/p> A prototype navigational camera from ESA was originally meant to accompany the flight but was removed due to European sanctions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022<\/p> Many space agencies have set their sights on the lunar south pole in recent years after India\u2019s Chandrayaan-1 and NASA\u2019s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter found evidence of water in on the Moon<\/a> in this region.<\/p> It\u2019s thought that water may be able to persist in the permanently shadowed corners of impact craters.<\/p> As water is a valuable resource \u2013 both for drinking and converting into rocket fuel \u2013 many space agencies are considering the lunar south pole as a possible site for a future permanent lunar base.<\/p> The Soviet Luna programme<\/a> ran during the height of the Space Race<\/a> from 1959 to 1974.<\/p> Missions ranged from orbiters and impactors, to soft landing missions and two hugely successful lunar rovers.<\/p> There were even three missions which returned samples of the lunar soil to Earth.<\/p>\n However, after the Apollo landings, both the Soviet and US space programme turned their sights away from the Moon, instead concentrating on human spaceflight in low-Earth orbit and robotic exploration on our neighbouring planets such as Venus and Mars.<\/p> Since the formation of Roscosmos after the fall of the Soviet Union, there have been several proposed Russian missions to return to the Moon.<\/p> Tight budgets curtailed these plans for almost 50 years.<\/p> ![\"The](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/08\/Luna25EArthMoonAtmo-edited-scaled.jpeg?w=800\")
Luna 25’s science instruments<\/strong><\/h2>
Why was Luna 25 heading to the lunar south pole?<\/strong><\/h2>
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Why was it been 50 years since Luna 24?<\/strong><\/h2>
![\"Grainy](\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2023\/08\/luna9close_big.jpg\")