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Russia gives up project for delivering lunar soil to Earth

A Luna-Glob probe, to be sent to the Moon, is expected to practice the landing phase

© Yury Smityuk/TASS

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Russia’s Federal Space Agency gives up most of piloted lunar projects — academic institute

KOROLYOV /Moscow Region/, November 29. /TASS/. Russia has given up the project for delivering lunar soil to the Earth, the science doyen of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Astronomy, Boris Shustov, has said.

"Originally, there was a plan for five probes. Now four are left," he told the science conference Cosmonautics in the 21st Century.

A Luna-Glob probe, to be sent to the Moon, is expected to practice the landing phase. Also, there will be two orbiters and one probe meant for landing on the Moon’s surface - Luna-Resurs. "The Moon program has aroused many issues," he said. Originally, there was a fifth project, called Luna-Grunt, for delivering samples of regolith.

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