Russia to Launch Manned Moon Mission by 2029

Russia is planning to launch its first manned lunar mission by 2029, Vladimir Solntsev, head of Roscomsos(The Russian Federal Space Agency) Energia consortium, announced. It would build a spacecraft, specifically for lunar missions. So far, only NASAhas been able to send a manned mission to the moon when it sent astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins aboard the Apollo 11 space shuttle in 1969. However, the first man-made object to reach the moon was sent by the Russians ten years prior to the Apollo landing.

key facts :

• The Roscosmos spacecraft is scheduled to make its first test flight in 2021
• It will dock with the International Space Station in 2023.
• The Russian space agency Roscosmos is planning to land a Luna-27 robotic lander near the Pole-Atkin crater on the dark side of the moon.