MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/: Russia’s Luna-25 automatic lunar station has entered the orbit of the Earth’s natural satellite, firing its thrusters twice, the State Space Corporation Roscosmos reported on Wednesday.
"The Luna-25 automatic station engineered at the Lavochkin Research and Production Association (part of the state corporation Roscosmos) has entered the orbit of the Moon’s artificial satellite," Roscosmos said in a statement.
The Luna-25 automatic station first fired its adjusting brake thruster at 11:57 a.m. Moscow time for 243 seconds while the second activation involved soft landing thrusters and lasted 76 seconds, Roscosmos said.
"For the first time in Russia’s modern history, an automatic station was delivered into the orbit of the Moon’s artificial satellite at 12:03 p.m." the federal space agency said, adding that all of the Luna-25 systems were operating normally and communication with the lunar probe was stable.
As of now, ground control specialists were measuring the lunar probe’s navigation parameters, Roscosmos said.
Luna-25 lunar mission
A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the Luna-25 automatic lunar station blasted off from the Vostochny spaceport in the Russian Far East at 2:10 a.m. Moscow time on August 11. On August 12 and 14, the automatic probe adjusted its flight path twice. The lunar lander is set to enter lunar orbit on August 16 and softly touch down on the Moon’s surface on August 21.
The Luna-25 mission aims to test a soft landing on the surface of the Earth’s natural satellite. The automatic station can become the first mission to land on the Moon’s south pole. The station will study the internal structure of the Moon and explore natural resources, including water, and will also study the impact of cosmic rays and electromagnetic radiation on the Moon’s surface.
Several video cameras are installed aboard the Luna-25 automatic station. They will record a time-lapse of the landing, a panorama of the Earth’s natural satellite in the HDR format and settling dust for its study. The Luna-25 will make a programmed video-recording and take photos of the Moon on a command from Earth.
