Russia's Luna-25 vs India's Chandrayaan-3: The Lunar Race Heats Up

After a hiatus of nearly half a century, Russia has re-entered the lunar exploration scene with its Luna-25 mission.

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Launched on August 11 from the Vosthochny cosmodrome, this mission marks Russia's first lunar landing attempt since 1976.

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Luna-25 aims to land near the lunar south pole at the Boguslavsky crater, a location believed to hold significant deposits of water ice.

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The Vostochny cosmodrome, from where Luna-25 was launched, is a significant project backed by President Vladimir Putin.

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India is not far behind with its Chandrayaan-3 mission.

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Chandrayaan-3's rover is expected to make a soft landing on the Moon on August 23.

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ISRO congratulated Roscosmos on social media for the successful launch of Luna-25.

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With both missions targeting the lunar south pole, what implications does this have for future moon bases and the hunt for water ice?

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They represent humanity's collective ambition to explore, understand, and eventually inhabit other celestial bodies.

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