Russia’s Luna 25 moon mission has piqued India’s interest as well. This is because the Russian lander is expected to arrive near the lunar South Pole a few days before India, denying India the distinction of being the first country to soft-land near the South Pole.
The Russian mission was launched on August 10. It is expected to enter lunar orbit on August 16 and attempt a gentle landing on August 21 or 22. India’s lunar mission cannot land before August 23, when the landing spot will see the lunar sunrise.
Why is Russia getting to the moon before India?
Although Luna 25 was launched earlier this week atop a Soyuz rocket, over a month after Chandrayaan-3 on July 14, it will complete the 3.84-lakh-kilometer journey in fewer days. Because of its smaller cargo and more fuel storage, the Russian mission was able to take a more direct path to the moon. The lift-off mass of Luna 25 is only 1,750 kg, compared to Chandrayaan-3’s 3,900 kg. The Lander-Rover alone on Chandrayaan weighs 1,752 kg, with the propulsion module adding 2,148 kg.
A more roundabout route was taken to compensate for the smaller fuel reserve available on the LVM3 spacecraft that launched India’s mission. After being launched around the Earth, the spacecraft’s orbit was raised in a series of maneuvers to assist it in gaining velocity. The spacecraft was then slingshot towards the moon, arriving there approximately 22 days after launch. Chandrayaan-3’s orbit and velocity around the moon will be reduced during the next few days in preparation for a soft landing on August 23.
Lunar daylight will occur sooner at the Luna 25 landing spot, which allows it to land a few days earlier than India. 14 Earth days make up one lunar day. Landing at the start of a moon day assures that the tests get the full 14 earth days because the packages are powered by solar panels.
What are the differences between the missions?
Aside from being lighter than the Indian mission, Luna 25 lacks a rover. The rover on Chandrayaan-3 can travel around 500 meters. The Russian lander is equipped with eight payloads, the majority of which are designed to examine soil composition, dust particles in the polar exosphere, and, most critically, surface water.
The Indian mission also has scientific tools for studying the lunar soil and water ice. The southern pole was chosen because of the number of craters that remain in permanent shade, increasing the possibility of finding water ice.
Four experiments will be carried out on the lander. A Langmuir probe is employed on the Radio Anatomy of Moon-bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA) to examine electron and ion characteristics such as temperature and density. It will investigate these qualities near the moon’s surface and how they change over time.
Scientific experiments on Chandra and the Rover
The Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) aboard Chandra will investigate the thermal properties of the lunar surface in the polar zone. The Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) will monitor lunar quakes and investigate the composition of the moon’s crust and mantle.
The LASER Retroreflector Array (LRA) is a passive experiment carried out aboard a mission by NASA. LRAs are optical equipment that serves as laser targets and can be utilized for extremely precise tracking by spacecraft in lunar orbit. Such markings, according to the US space agency, can also be utilized for precision autonomous navigation and landing on future missions.
The rover is carrying out two scientific experiments. The chemical and mineral composition of the lunar surface will be determined via the LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS). The Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) will analyze the composition of elements in lunar soil and rocks such as magnesium, aluminum, silicon, potassium, calcium, titanium, and iron.
The primary distinction is that the India mission is only designed to last one lunar day or 14 earth days. This is due to the lack of a heating system to protect the electronics from the severe cold temperatures during the lunar night.
The Russian mission, on the other hand, will be operational for a year, which means it will have a heating mechanism as well as a power source other than solar panels.
Is India also competing to land humans on the moon?
The finding of water molecules by India’s Chandrayaan-1 mission in 2008 sparked a new race to the moon. The United States and China are now planning to take humans to the moon, a first since the Cold War. Only 12 men from the United States Apollo missions have stepped foot on the lunar surface to date.
Although India has caught up with countries with more advanced and older space programs despite its low resources, there is still a long way to go before humans can be sent to the moon.
“When it comes to sending humans to the moon, the US and China are in the lead. The two countries — and even Russia during the cold War—have already succeeded not only in landing but also in carrying out sample return missions. India is yet to announce a sample return mission, although planning for a fourth mission to the moon with Japan as a partner is underway,” said Ajay Lele, a senior fellow at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses.
He claims that India is on par with countries like Japan and Israel, which are already attempting moon missions.
Challenges in India’s lunar exploration ambitions
Just a few months before Chandrayaan-2 in 2019, Israel’s Beresheet failed to land softly on the moon. Since then, two more Japanese and UAE landers have been unable to reach the lunar surface since the spaceship carrying both of them failed in 2022. This year, the United States, China, and Japan plan at least four more lunar missions.
According to Lele, India must first establish human spaceflight before sending astronauts to the moon. He added, “With Isro carrying out more scientific missions, there is a need for the space agency to develop heavier launch vehicles. Currently, our heaviest launch vehicle has the capability of carrying only 4 tons of satellites to the geostationary Transfer Orbit.”
In comparison, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 can transport more than 26 tons.
How have India and Russia worked together on moon missions and other space projects?
Many suspected that Russia’s launch was timed to coincide with India’s mission, but Lele refuted this. He stated that India and Russia have long been collaborators, particularly in space operations.
Russia intended to design the lander rover for India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission. It withdrew, however, following the failure of its Fobos Grunt mission to one of Mars’s moons. This spurred India to construct the Lander rover on its own. This is why there is an 11-year gap between the Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2 missions.
In addition, the LVM3 that launched Chandrayaan-3 was based on cryogenic engines sold to India by Russia. Because Russia did not provide the technology, India later developed it on its own.