Igor Mitrofanov, Head of the Department of Nuclear Planetology at the ICI RAS, noted that scientists have already selected several points in the vicinity of the poles of the Earth's satellite, where there are potentially water deposits and favorable conditions for construction
MOSCOW, October 23rd. /tass/. The scientific data to be obtained by the Russian interplanetary stations Luna-27a and Luna-27b will become the foundation for the construction of permanent human settlements on the surface of the Moon's natural satellite. This was announced by Igor Mitrofanov, Head of the Department of Nuclear Planetology of the ICI RAS, at the XV Moscow Symposium on Solar System Research.
"In the current century, there is a race not to take the first step on the surface of the Moon, but to explore it and establish the first permanent settlements on its surface. For this reason, we are currently working on possible landing sites for the Luna-27 mission at the north and south poles of the Moon with an eye not only to studying the Earth's satellite, but also to choosing a place to build habitable lunar bases," Mitrofanov said.
As the researcher noted, scientists from the Institute of Space Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences have already selected several similar points in the vicinity of the poles of the Moon, where water deposits are potentially present and favorable conditions have developed for the construction of bases, as well as for conducting the first astronomical observations from the surface of another celestial body.
"One of the arguments in favor of landing at both the north and south poles of the Moon is that building bases or installing scientific instruments in the circumpolar regions of the Moon will give us a full view of the night sky. This will allow us to constantly monitor asteroids that are potentially dangerous to the Earth, and will also give us the opportunity to track supernova outbreaks and other short-term events in tandem with orbiting telescopes," Mitrofanov explained.
According to him, the first steps towards solving these scientific problems will be taken within the framework of the Luna-27 project. As Academician Lev Zeleny, scientific director of the first stage of the Russian lunar program, added, the simultaneous sending of missions to the north and south poles of the Moon will also help scientists for the first time to uncover and study possible asymmetries in the properties of the south and north poles of the Earth's satellite.
About the Luna-27 mission
The launch of Luna-27 is scheduled for the turn of 2028-2029. During the mission, it is planned to work out technologies for high-precision and safe landing on a natural satellite of the Earth, as well as to conduct research on the circumpolar region of the Moon. In 2023, the head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, said that the state corporation was considering a proposal from the Russian Academy of Sciences to create two lunar vehicles (Luna-27a and Luna-27b) in order to increase reliability.
As the scientific director of the first stage of the lunar program of the Russian Federation noted, the creation of two devices will cost only a third more expensive than the creation of one. If the first mission is successful, the second Luna-27 can be launched after only a few months - it can be sent to the north pole of the Earth's natural satellite or to its reverse side.
