LUNA
25 - SCI & TECH
News:
Russia's Luna-25
spacecraft enters lunar orbit
What's
in the news?
● Luna-25
will circle the moon, the earth's only natural satellite, for around 5 days,
then change course for a soft landing.
Luna
25:
● A
Soyuz 2.1v rocket carrying the
Luna-25 craft blasted off from the Vostochny cosmodrome, 5,550kilometers east
of Moscow.
● As
per Russia’s Space chief, the lander is expected to touch down on the moon on
August 21.
● Luna-25,
roughly the size of a small car, will aim to operate for a year on the moon's
south pole.
Why
is Luna 25 Reaching the Moon Earlier?
1.
Direct Trajectory Advantage:
● Despite
being launched almost a month later than Chandrayaan-3, Luna 25 is set to reach
the moon earlier due to its more direct trajectory.
2.
Payload and Fuel Storage:
● Luna
25's lift-off mass of 1,750 kg is significantly lighter than Chandrayaan-3's
3,900 kg, facilitating a quicker journey.
3.
Circuitous Route for Chandrayaan-3:
● Chandrayaan-3
took a longer route to compensate for its lower fuel reserve, involving manoeuvres
to gain velocity and slingshotting towards the moon.
● This
elongated its journey to the lunar orbit by 22 days.
4.
Lunar Dawn Timing:
● Luna
25 benefits from an earlier lunar dawn at its landing site, ensuring full solar
panel power for its payloads during the lunar day (equal to 14 Earth days).