Russia is Return to the Moon: What to Expect from Luna 5

• After nearly five decades, Russia is finally returning to the Moon with the launch of Luna 5, a robotic lander that will aim to touchdown near the lunar south pole. 

• The mission, which is set to launch from Moscow's Vostochny Cosmodrome on Friday, August 11, 2023, will be the first stage in Russia's ambitious lunar program, which intends to create a permanent presence on the Moon in collaboration with China and other countries.

• The Luna 5 probe is the successor of the Soviet Luna series of probes flown between 1959 and 1976. 

•The last mission, Luna 24, returned to Earth in August 1976 with samples of lunar soil, marking the Soviet Union the only country other than the United States to have done so. 

• However, Russia has not deployed any spacecraft to the Moon since then, although other countries such as China, India, Japan, and Israel have.

• The primary goal of Luna 5 is to investigate the composition and properties of the lunar regolith (the layer of dust and rocks covering the surface) as well as the plasma and dust environment near the south pole.

• A drill, spectrometer, magnetometer, seismometer, laser retroreflector, and camera are among the scientific instruments aboard the lander. The lander will also put new technologies to the test in terms of performance and dependability for future lunar missions.

• The Moon's south pole is of particular interest because it is thought to contain deposits of water ice in permanently shadowed craters. 

• Water is required for human life and activity on the Moon, as well as the production of rocket fuel. The presence of water ice could potentially reveal information about the Moon's history and evolution, as well as its interactions with the solar wind and meteorites.

• Russia's Luna 5 mission marks a watershed moment for the country's space program, which has struggled in recent years with budget cuts, technical challenges, and international sanctions. 

• The mission also demonstrates Russia's renewed interest in the Moon, which it regards as a strategic asset and prospective partner for China in its struggle with the US. 

• In the coming years, Russia wants to follow up on Luna 5 with two more landers (Luna 26 and 27) and an orbiter (Luna 28), as well as participate in China's International Lunar Research Station project.