Angara - Luna 27 (Luna-Resurs 1 Lander) - Vostochny - 2028

[Star One]

The BBC have been rotating this fairly heavily today with coverage on this mission. Not surprising as they are claiming an exclusive on the details.

Video piece here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34554517

And a piece by Pallab Ghosh.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34504067

These ventures will continue where the exploration programme that was halted by the Soviet Union in the mid 1970s left off, according to Prof Igor Mitrofanov, of the Space Research Institute in Moscow, who is one of the lead scientists.
"We have to go to the Moon. The 21st Century will be the century when it will be the permanent outpost of human civilisation, and our country has to participate in this process," he told BBC News.
But unlike efforts in the 1960s and 70s, when the Soviet Union was working in competition with the US and other nations, he added, "we have to work together with our international colleagues".
...
The initial missions will be robotic. Luna 27 will land on the edge of the South Pole Aitken (SPA) basin. The south polar region has areas which are always dark. These are some of the coldest places in the Solar System. As such, they are icy prisons for water and other chemicals that have been shielded from heating by the Sun.
..."

[EE Scott]

Thanks for posting this.

I watched the video, I didn't catch when the launch date is planned for?

[Steven Pietrobon]

They said in five years, which is 2020. Other Russian sources say Luna 27 will fly in 2023.

[savuporo]

Meanwhile, Zelenyi and recent Popular Mechanics article both confirm that even Luna-25 will slip to 2020~ish

Первым в 2019 году улетит аппарат-разведчик “Луна-25”, основная задача которого - сесть неподалеку от Южного полюса. Этот район мы считаем наиболее подходящим для создания лунного исследовательского полигона.

According to the official schedule, Luna-25 could launch as early as 2019, but more likely in the first half of the 2020s.

These dates are moving into future approximately one year per year or so.

[Star One]

If that's Luna 25 & this is Luna 27, what & where is Luna 26?

[Kryten]

If that's Luna 25 & this is Luna 27, what & where is Luna 26?

Luna 26 is the Luna-Glob orbiter, which is usually scheduled to launch about a year after Luna-25 (the Luna-Glob lander).

[Star One]

If that's Luna 25 & this is Luna 27, what & where is Luna 26?

Luna 26 is the Luna-Glob orbiter, which is usually scheduled to launch about a year after Luna-25 (the Luna-Glob lander).

Thanks. You'd a thought they'd do the orbiter first than lander?

[Steven Pietrobon]

If that's Luna 25 & this is Luna 27, what & where is Luna 26?

Luna 26 is the Luna-Glob orbiter, which is usually scheduled to launch about a year after Luna-25 (the Luna-Glob lander).

My understanding is that Luna 26 is called Luna-Resurs-OA with launch in 2021.

[bolun]

Lunar ice drill

A drill designed to penetrate 1–2 m into the lunar surface is envisaged by ESA to fly to the Moon’s south pole on Russia’s Luna-27 lander in 2020.

“It is an essential part of a science and exploration package being developed to reach, extract and analyse samples from beneath the surface in the Moon’s south polar region,” explains lunar exploration systems engineer Richard Fisackerly.

“This region is of great interest to lunar researchers and explorers because the low angle of the Sun over the horizon leads to areas of partial or even complete shadow. These shadowed areas and permanently dark crater floors, where sunlight never reaches, are believed to hide water ice and other frozen volatiles.”

Developed by Finmeccanica in Nerviano, Italy, the drill would first penetrate into the frozen ‘regolith’ and then deliver the samples to a chemical laboratory, which is being developed by the UK’s Open University.

The development team has tested the drill design with simulated lunar soil cooled to –140°C (typical of the expected landing site of Luna-27) but the permanently shadowed regions of the Moon are known to be even colder, at down to –240°C.

The drill system plus laboratory are collectively known as Prospect: Platform for Resource Observation and in-Situ Prospecting in support of Exploration, Commercial exploitation & Transportation.

Prospect is one of the packages being developed by ESA for flight to the Moon as part of cooperation on Russia’s lunar programme. Pilot – Precise Intelligent Landing using On-board Technology – is an autonomous precision landing system incorporating ‘laser radar’ lidar for hazard detection and avoidance.

These packages are being developed by ESA’s Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration and will be proposed for approval to fly by ESA’s Council of European Ministers in December 2016.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2016/05/Lunar_ice_drill

Testing lunar ice drill design (video)

http://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Videos/2016/05/Testing_lunar_ice_drill_design

Image credit: ESA/Finmeccanica

[fregate]

Luna Glob Orbiter (aka Luna-26) on Anatoly Zak website 
http://russianspaceweb.com/luna_glob_orbiter.html

[Star One]

Peter B. de Selding
Peter B. de Selding –  ‏@pbdes

ESA inks EUR 8M ($8.8M) contract w/ Leonardo-Finmeccanica for prototype lunar drill for Russian 1,000kg Luna-Resurs probe to launch in 2021.

[fregate]

TASS press-release (12 Jul 2016)
Leonardo-Finmeccanica Press-release (12 Jul 2016)

[bolun]

Low-cost clocks for landing on the Moon

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Low-cost_clocks_for_landing_on_the_Moon

[bolun]

Luna-27

A computer model of Luna-27 fly to the Moon’s south pole on Russia’s Luna-27 lander in 2022.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/10/Luna-27

Image credit: Roscosmos

[Phil Stooke]

http://www.spaceflightfans.cn/33111.html

Spaceflightfans.cn has this item about Russia's Luna 25 being postponed for 2 years to 2021.  Lunas 26 and 27 follow at 1 year intervals. 

[fregate]

Luna-27

A computer model of Luna-27 fly to the Moon’s south pole on Russia’s Luna-27 lander in 2022.

http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2017/10/Luna-27

Image credit: Roscosmos

With a computer model of Luna 27 spacecraft it is very easy to reach a computer model of MOON

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-post; Luna-Resurs/Luna 27 launch is delayed to 2024

https://ria.ru/20190110/1549185956.html
Google translate:

Earlier, the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, on the Russia-24 TV channel, said that the launches of Luna 26 and Luna 27 were postponed to 2023 and 2024, respectively. Prior to this, it was reported that the launch of the first for more than 40 years Russian lunar station "Luna-25" was postponed from 2019 to 2021.

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-post:

https://ria.ru/20190411/1552601179.html
Google translate:

MOSCOW, April 11 - RIA News. Launches of the Russian interplanetary stations "Luna-26" and "Luna-27" will take place a year later - in 2024 and 2025, the director general of the Roscosmos state corporation Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday.
Earlier, launches were planned in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
"Luna Resource-1 (Luna-26) - ... this work is due to problems with financing shifted so far by 2024 and Luna-27" is 2025, "he said at a press conference at the MIA" Russia Today ".

Clarification cross-post:

https://www.roscosmos.ru/28384/

"Запуск запланирован на август 2025 года"

Luna 27 will be launched in August 2025.

[zubenelgenubi]

Cross-post:

https://tass.ru/kosmos/10850401
Google translate:

MOSCOW, March 6. / TASS /.
<snip> This was announced on Saturday to TASS by the general director of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin.
<snip>
Further exploration of the Moon will continue with the aid of the Luna-27 heavy lander. Its launch is scheduled for 2025.
<snip>

[Rondaz]

Luna-27 will be launched on the Angara launch vehicle from the Vostochny cosmodrome

10/23/2021 05:14

The Russian automatic station Luna-27 will be launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome on the Angara launch vehicle. This was stated by the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin in the next issue of the program "General's Line".

“Luna-27 is a heavy lander with a drilling rig, it must be lifted by the Angara. Therefore, in 2024, 2025, we plan to launch these particular devices, ” Rogozin said .

He recalled that the Luna-26 orbiter will be launched on the Soyuz-2 rocket. It was originally planned to use the Soyuz-2 rocket to launch Luna-27.

The first lunar mission in Russia since the Soviet Union is planned for 2022 (Luna-25), the Luna-26 mission is to be launched in 2024, Luna-27 - in 2025, Luna-28 - in 2027-2028.

Source: TASS
October 20, 2021, 18:37