HAVANA, August 14. /TASS/. The launch of the Luna-25, the first lunar station in Russian history, is a scientific accomplishment that boosts Moscow's international prestige, Elson Perez, a columnist with Cuban newspaper Granma, wrote.
"For a world that is overflowing with bad news, scientific feats like the one Russia has accomplished by sending the first mission to the Moon in modern history are rare. And it is all the more surprising when [Moscow] does this while under US and European economic sanctions <...>, when the West is waging an information war against it in order to impair [Russia's] prestige," the journalist wrote.
Earlier, Wall Street Journal reporter Ann Simmons noted that the success of the Luna-25 mission launch could indicate Russia's ability to resist Western sanctions and would demonstrate the country's technological edge. She also pointed out that the launch was symbolic for the country as it seeks to prove that it possesses all necessary technological capabilities despite the unprecedented sanctions regime imposed on Moscow by Western countries.
Luna-25
The Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with the Luna-25 automatic probe was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome at 2:10 a.m. Moscow time on August 11. On August 16, the apparatus is to enter a near-lunar orbit, and on August 21 it is expected to make a soft landing on the surface of the Moon.
The Luna-25’s primary mission is to test soft landing technology. It may become the first apparatus to land at the South Pole of the Earth's natural satellite. The station will explore for natural resources, including water, and study their internal structure as well as investigate the impact of cosmic rays and electromagnetic radiation on the Moon’s surface.
The craft is equipped with several cameras that will capture a time-lapse film of the landing and an HDR panorama of the Earth's natural satellite. The Luna-25 will conduct pre-programmed surveys as well as take images of the Moon on command from Earth.