Russia is planning to launch the Don super-heavy carrier rocket in 2029 to deliver a takeoff/landing complex to the Moon, a space industry source told Sputnik.

"The goal of the mission will be to deliver a takeoff/landing complex to the Moon to test the landing on its surface in order to ensure the future landing of Russian cosmonauts on the Earth's natural satellite", the source said.

According to the source, the prospective Don super-heavy class carrier rocket will be capable of delivering a payload of up to 130 metric tons to a low-Earth orbit, and a payload of up to 32 metric tons to the lunar orbit.

Dmitry Rogozin, the Roscosmos chief said last week that the Moon exploration is a highly important task for Russian space corporation, which was set by Russian President Vladimir Putin, stressing that the task will be implemented.

On 28 November, the scientific council of Roscosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences considered the concept of exploration and examination of the Moon.

Russia's first ever manned lunar mission is expected in 2031. According to the Roscosmos, Russia hopes to found a base on the Moon between 2036 and 2040.

Last year, media reported that large reserves of frozen water had been discovered in the polar regions of the Moon. It will not only make the construction of the lunar base easier, but also will also help scientists to find out how the water appeared on the Moon.

In January, Rogozin announced that Roscosmos could create new Federation spacecraft and, at the same time, upgrade the Soyuz spacecraft for lunar flights. In addition, he said that Russia was expecting new negotiating positions with NASA on the Moon orbit station.

Source: Sputnik News

Related Links
Roscosmos
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Spaceflight to launch first privately funded lunar lander
Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Feb 12, 2019
Spaceflight Inc has announced it will launch two payloads on its first rideshare mission to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The mission is scheduled for no earlier than mid-February 2019 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launching from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The primary payload on the mission is a telecommunications satellite for the South East Asia region. It was built by SSL, a Maxar Technologies company, which also procured the launch vehicle. Spaceflight wi ... read more