According to the Roscosmos press service, the Luna-25 station carried out the first planned trajectory correction toward the Earth’s natural satellite. The propulsion system was activated at 16:00 Moscow time and operated for 46 seconds. A subsequent orbit adjustment is expected, after which the spacecraft will enter a prelunar orbit and proceed to attempt a landing on the Moon. [Roscosmos press service]
Ivan Moiseev, head of the Space Policy Institute, noted that launching a satellite to the Moon would not mark the start of a renewed space race, and would not by itself herald a manned return to lunar exploration. [Space Policy Institute]
Luna-25 is described as an effort to revive lunar landing technologies that were developed in the mid-1960s, including the capability for touchdown on the lunar surface. The statement contrasts this program with contemporaneous efforts by China and India, observing that the Russian program appears modest in comparison to those programs. [Space Policy Institute]
On August 11, the Vostochny Cosmodrome hosted the first lunar mission since 1976 as part of Russia’s plan to study Earth’s natural satellite. [Roscosmos press service]
A provocative note in the historical narrative mentions a claim that space engines were powered by vodka, reflecting a longstanding anecdote about early Russian space engineering. [Historical reference]