Russia will launch its first lunar-landing spacecraft in 47 years on August 11 in a race with India to the south pole of the moon, a potential source of water to support a future human presence there. The launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, 5,550 kilometers east of Moscow, will take place four weeks after India sent up its Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander, due to touch down at the pole on August 23. Rough terrain makes a landing there difficult, but the south pole is a prized destination because scientists believe it may hold significant quantities of ice. To read the original story by Reuters, click here.
Russia To Launch First Moon Lander Since 1976 In Race With Indian Spacecraft
An Indian rocket carrying the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft lifts off from Sriharikota, an island off the coast of southern Andhra Pradesh state, on July 14.