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Further Reading

Fourth Generation Un-Crewed Lunar Series

Luna-Glob-1, 2012

Luna-Glob-1 the un-crewed lunar series is planned over 30 years after the last Lunar Probe’s launch from the former Soviet Union during the Cold War era. The Lavochkin Research and Production Association is developing the new 120 kilogram Luna-Glob-1 lunar orbiter spacecraft planned for launch on the Samara, Progress State Research and Rocket Production Space Center [TsSKB-Progress] new higher performance Soyuz-2-1a (Fregat) booster with a spacecraft launch mass of 7.24 tonnes, for lunar orbit insertion in 2012 by the Russian, Federal Space Agency. The un-crewed spacecraft launch mass is 7.24 metric tones (7,240 kilograms) that allows for a TLI mass of 2,350 kilograms with the Fregat escape stage and a pre-lunar orbit insertion payload mass of on the order of 705-825 kilograms mass not including the Fregat stage dry weight of about 980-1,100 kg. Fregat’s propellant mass is about 6,415-6,535 kilograms.

The payload consists of four 45 kilogram Lunar-A Japanese built penetrators which includes the individual 14 kilogram penetrators themselves for a total of 180 kilograms. The primary payload includes astrophysics experiments, dust monitors, plasma sensors which equals at least 120 kilograms. This adds up to a total of 300 kilograms not including structures, fuel to maneuver and thrusters, communications and environmental control equipment, solar arrays and insulation placed into lunar orbit. The Polar Lander part of this seems to have been dropped for this project.

Cooperation with China & India

Like Japan , China , India and the US are attempting to do lunar prospecting of the Moon’s structures and resources for analysis for future exploitation development Russia is finally planning to get into the international game. A total of four international cooperative missions are being developed by the highly experienced NPO Lavochkin Research and Production Association of the Moscow region that will lead to a post 2015 fully automated un-crewed lunar base operation.

India’s Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Orbiting spacecraft and Russia’s Lunar Rover Joint Project Lunar Glob-2

India’s and Russia’s cooperative Chandrayaan-2 mission is to consist of a Indian ISRO developed lunar orbiting spacecraft, and a Russian Federal Space Agency developed lunar Lander spacecraft to deliver the Lunar Roving Spacecraft to the lunar surface. This second Luna-Glob mission is planned for a 2011-2012 landing of an un-crewed spacecraft in the lunar South Pole region carrying a new 58 kilogram two section, solar powered, six wheeled lunar rover vehicle with a one year design life duration capability. It is being designed by The Lavochkin Research and Production Association and its associated organizations with a capability to cover 150 kilometers during it year long mission at a rate of travel of 360 meters / hour. It is being equipped with a lunar specimen collection robotic arm device and analysis equipment and high gain communications antenna and stereo TV cameras system all powered by a power system with one deployable solar array charging array. The launch is expected to be on the Indian GSLV mark-2 booster but the unflight tested GSLV-3 mark-3 is also suggested as the booster to be used.

Two Lunar Grount Spacecraft Launches

Two Lunar Grount spacecraft launches are planned for 2014 and 2015 which are intended to carry a larger rover with a soil sample analyzer built into the rover and a soil sample return stage for the second vehicle in the series. It is planned in addition to the blander and long range rover to have a sample return spacecraft as well as a lunar orbiting relay satellite for direct communications with the rover sample return vehicles. Two different kinds of rel;ay communications satellite orbits are being considered with one being a highly elliptical orbit with the high point above the lunar South Pole region and the other and L-2 halo orbit allowing lunar far side and polar missions. Discussions of a future fully automated un-crewed lunar base [Lunar-Polygon] with it associated orbiters, standardized lunar Landers and automatic sample ret The Lavochkin Research and Production Association return vehicles, standardized lunar transporters with some outfitted as S&T or maintenance modules/rovers have been presented in a kind of forecast planning concept. Much of the projects are dependent on international cooperation to support these lunar spacecraft programs. How much impact the world’s economic slump will have on this Russian economic bubble that is supporting these blossoming new spacecraft efforts is unclear. It has been several decades since Russia then the former Soviet Union carried out unmanned spacecraft lunar exploration.

Lunar-The Next Generation Luna-Glob-1, in 2012

The Luna-Glob-1 mission is planned for a 2011-2012 landing of an un-crewed spacecraft in the lunar South Pole region carrying a new 58 kilogram two section, solar powered, six wheeled lunar rover vehicle with a one year design life duration capability. It is being designed by the Lavochkin Research and Production Association and its associated organizations with a capability to cover 150 kilometers during it year long mission at a rate of travel of 360 meters / hour. It is being equipped with a lunar specimen collection robotic arm device and analysis equipment and high gain communications antenna and stereo TV cameras system all powered by a power system with one deployable solar array charging array.

Russia ’s Federal Space Agency “Roscosmos” through Lavochkin Research and Production Association intends to launch a new generation “Lunar-Glob-1” probe to the surface of the Moon in 2012. It is to utilize a neutron generator for both exploration of the Moon and this same technology will be used for Mars exploration being planned. It is known as the IGN-10K impulse neutron generator.

In 2011 it will fly installed with the NASA Mars rover launch now being developed. It will help examine the Martian and lunar water content of the objects surface analysis exploration. This is according to the Automatic Engineering Scientific Research Institute.

References:

1. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/10/14/317424/lavochkin-begins-phase-b-work-for-luna-glob-1-orbiter.html , Lavochkin begins phase B work for Luna-Glob 1 Orbiter, By Rob Coppinger, Flight International, October 14, 2008 , p.1.