Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M | Luna 27
About this mission
Luna 27 (also named Luna-Resurs 1) is a planned lunar lander mission by Roscosmos to send a lander to the South Pole–Aitken basin, an area on the far side of the Moon. The purpose is to prospect for minerals, volatiles (nitrogen, water, carbon dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen, methane and sulfur dioxide, and lunar water ice in permanently shadowed areas of the Moon and investigate the potential use of these natural lunar resources. On the long term, Russia considers building a crewed base on the Moon's far side that would bring scientific and commercial benefits. The lander will feature 15 science instruments that will analyse the regolith, plasma in the exosphere, dust, and seismic activity. The payload will include a sampling drill.
This mission is scheduled to launch in approximately 2.5 years. Dates may shift as development progresses.
Soyuz 2.1b Fregat-M — 3D Model
Procedural representation based on spacecraft class. Not to scale.
Other missions to Lunar Orbit
Ariane 64 | Argonaut Mission 1
Ariane 6 is a European expendable launch system developed for the European Space Agency (ESA) and French Space Agency (CNES) and manufactured by a consortium of European companies, led by the prime contractor ArianeGroup. As part of the Ariane rocket family, it is operated by Arianespace, replacing the Ariane 5. The project's primary contributors were France (55.3%), Germany (21%) and Italy (7.6%), with the remaining work distributed among ten other participating countries.
Long March 5 | Chang'e 8
Chang'e 8/CE-8 is scheduled to launch in 2028, including a lander, a rover and a legged robot. The mission will land in the South Pole regions of the Moon to study lunar surface environment around the South Pole and experimenting with resource utilization, including testing an enclosed terrestrial ecosystem in the lunar environment.
Thor Able I | Pioneer 2
The third pioneer orbiter, pioneer 2 intended to enter lunar orbit but failed to make orbit when the third stage failed to ignite.