Luna 25 vs Chandrayaan-3: A Race to the Moon’s South Pole – Russia’s Luna 25 mission is scheduled to land on the moon’s surface days before India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, generating intrigue and comparisons between the two projects. Here are the specifics of both missions, as well as why Luna 25 is arriving to the moon earlier.
Luna 25: The Russian Mission
Luna 25, which was launched on August 10, is expected to enter lunar orbit by August 16 and perform a gentle landing on August 21 or 22. This mission has piqued India’s interest because it is on track to be the first to soft-land near the lunar South Pole, maybe ahead of Chandrayaan-3.
Luna 25’s Swift Trajectory
Despite being launched a month after Chandrayaan-3, Luna 25 is expected to arrive at the moon sooner. This is due to its more straight trajectory, which is made possible by a lower payload and effective fuel storage. With a lift-off mass of 1,750 kg vs 3,900 kg for Chandrayaan-3, Luna 25’s smaller profile allowed it to travel a more direct route.
Chandrayaan-3 took a longer route to compensate for its reduced fuel reserve. Following launch, the spacecraft performed a series of manoeuvres to gather velocity, so prolonging its voyage. Chandrayaan-3 will reach lunar orbit 22 days after launch and make a soft landing on August 23.
Differences Between Lunar Dawn and Payload
The timing of lunar dawn at Luna 25’s landing site is also advantageous, as it arrives sooner than at Chandrayaan-3’s landing site. Landing at the start of a lunar day assures that experiments have the maximum 14 Earth days for solar-powered activities.
Mission Goals and Payloads
Because Luna 25 is lighter and lacks a rover, it carries eight payloads largely focused on soil composition, dust particles in the polar exosphere, and surface water detection. Chandrayaan-3, on the other hand, has a 500-meter-long rover as well as research instruments for studying lunar soil and water-ice.
The scientific instruments on board Chandrayaan-3 include:
- RAMBHA (Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere): Researches electron and ion characteristics near the lunar surface.
- The Chandra Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) studies the thermal properties of the lunar surface near the poles.
- Measures lunar quakes and examines the nature of the moon’s crust and mantle with the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA).
The Global Lunar Terrain
While Russia’s Luna 25 and India’s Chandrayaan-3 race to the moon’s South Pole, it’s worth noting that countries such as the United States and China have already accomplished key milestones, such as human landings and sample return missions. Despite these advances, India’s lunar exploration efforts are comparable to those of Japan and Israel.
Future Lunar Projects
Several more lunar missions are on the horizon as the lunar exploration landscape evolves. Among the countries planned or executing lunar missions in the coming year are Israel, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and China.
Finally, Russia’s Luna 25 and India’s Chandrayaan-3 epitomise worldwide interest in lunar exploration. While Luna 25 has a speedier route to the moon’s South Pole, both missions contribute to our understanding of the moon’s mysteries and scientific potential.