The Soyuz rocket carrying a probe to the Moon took off during the night. Russia thus kicks off its first lunar mission in 47 years. The departure of Luna-25 at 1:10 am Italian time from the Vostochnyj cosmodrome.
It will reach lunar orbit in five days and will stay there for between three and seven days to choose the right spot to land in the lunar south pole area.
According to a Roscosmos source, the agency expects the moon landing around August 21st.
The spacecraft, which will then remain on our satellite for a year, will have the task of "taking (samples) and analyzing the soil" as well as "conducting long-term scientific research".
(Unioneonline/ss)