Russia launches lunar landing craft in first moon mission since Soviet era
CBSAug 21, 2023
The Facts
On Friday, Russia launched the Luna-25 craft into space from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Far East — its first mission to the moon in nearly 50 years.
The Luna-25 craft is reportedly racing to land on the moon’s south pole ahead of India’s Chandrayaan-3, which is expected to reach the lunar surface on Aug. 23.
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
With the launch of the Luna-25 mission, Russia is returning to the space race. Moscow has a rich history of lunar exploration, and it’s getting ahead of its rivals in the search for valuable resources like lunar water. Russia is showing that it can successfully operate the world’s most successful lunar operation, and Friday’s launch is just the beginning.
Anti-Russia narrative
While Russia deserves some credit for its ambition, it has many challenges to overcome to demonstrate that it can successfully maintain a robust lunar program and show the world it’s still a superpower after being entirely shunned by the West for invading Ukraine. Russia is harkening back to its Soviet days, but it remains to be seen if it can be an aerospace superpower in the modern age.