Russia Could Send Heavy Mining-Capable Rover to Moon After 2030 - Source

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia plans to deliver a reusable cargo spacecraft, a heavy lunar rover for mining and modules for a lunar base to the Moon in 2031–2035, a source in the Russian space industry told Sputnik on Sunday.

"Lavochkin NPO offers Roscosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences to launch four automatic spacecraft to the Moon from 2031 to 2035. Thus, the Luna-30 lander will deliver a reusable lunar spacecraft with supplies for manned missions. The Luna-31 lander will bring to the Moon a heavy lunar rover weighing up to 5 tonnes, equipped with the necessary means to develop lunar resources", the source said.

The Luna-32 lander will deliver heavy modules weighing up to 6 tonnes for the construction of the lunar test range, and the launch of the Luna-33 orbiter will provide necessary means of communication and navigation, he added.

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In early January, head of Russia's Roscosmos space corporation, Dmitry Rogozin, said that the Luna-25 would be sent to the Moon in 2021, the Luna-26 orbiter in 2023 and the Luna-27 lander in 2024.

The Luna-25 mission will search for ice at the Moon's south pole, and will also test soft landing. This will be the first Russian mission to the Earth's natural satellite after a 40-year hiatus. The last Soviet spacecraft sent to the Moon, the Luna-24, was launched in 1976.

The Luna-26 orbiter will conduct mapping and remote sensing of the Moon. The Luna-27 lander take samples of soil at the south pole of the Moon and study it.

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In 2027, the Luna-28 lander is scheduled to take cryogenic soil samples to the Earth from the south pole of the Moon. In 2028, the Luna-29 lander will deliver a rover to the Moon.

According to Roscosmos, the construction of the first Russian lunar base is set to begin in 2034.