Russia picks July 23 as optimal date for Luna-25 lunar mission’s launch

MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. July 23 is an optimal calculated date for launching Russia’s Luna-25 lunar mission this year, with July 24 serving as the back-up date, the Lavochkin Research and Production Association said in a presentation at the 46th Academic Readings on Cosmonautics on Wednesday. The materials indicate July 23 (02:21:45 Moscow time) as the basic date and July 24 (02:55:49 Moscow time) as a back-up date. Consequently, the lunar station will reach the Moon’s orbit on July 28 or July 29, respectively. Dates for the entire range of the 2022 launch window available from May to October have been calculated, a Lavochkin representative said. "Activities are possible in September and October but there are nuances there," he added, specifying that the outlined dates showed an opportunity for the mission’s start but the launch would take place as soon as the lunar module was ready. Head of Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin earlier told TASS that the launch of a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Luna-25 inter-planetary automatic station was scheduled for May-July 2022. He said that the July launch was a preferred option for utilizing the spacecraft’s energy capacity. The Luna-25 is set to become the first domestic spacecraft in Russia’s modern history on the surface of the Earth’s natural satellite. The lunar mission will be launched atop a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with a Fregat booster from the Vostochny spaceport in the Russian Far East. Under the lunar project, the Luna-25 automatic station will be launched for studies in the area of the lunar south pole. The lander is set to touch down in the area of the Boguslawsky crater. The Luna-25 probe is currently undergoing testing. Read more