Before 2030, Russia is planning to land successfully its first cosmonauts on the moon, and Europe is also joining Russia in this mission. They're a little bit late for the great space rivalry of the 1960s, but the mission is an excellent push for the reignited concentration in manned deep-space travel. On Tuesday, at a space and technology forum in Moscow, the head of Roscosmos Energia — Russia's space agency — declared: "A manned flight to the moon and lunar landing is planned for 2029." And the European Space Agency, which has also made history just last year by landing the first spacecraft on a comet, is also joining Russia.
Bérengère Houdou, head of the lunar-exploration team at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Center, recently told BBCNews. "We have an ambition to have European astronauts on the moon," "There are currently discussion at international level going on for broad cooperation on how to go back to the moon." Europe and Russia have shown concentration in forming a stable base on the moon, and they have already started taking the first steps toward this objective. Just last month, Roscosmos declared that it will send a lander, Luna 25, to the moon's South Pole in 2024. After landing, the lander will examine the lunar surface for future lunar colonies.
The Luna 25 mission was originally planned in 1997 and has since gone through a number of interruptions, but it appears that with Europe's aid the mission could lastly get the jump-start it requires. Construction on the spacecraft has already started, TechInsider reported.
This combined effort is a welcomed contrast to the solitary space race of the mid-20th century. While Europe and Russia increase their mutual eyes to the moon, NASAcontinues its mission for a remoter, more risky mission: Mars.
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