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[Paolo]

From Flght International: Lavochkin begins phase B work for Luna-Glob 1 orbiter

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

It looks like the mission is on schedule for 2012...
However they already plan Luna Glob 2:
A Luna-Glob 2 mission, which could also take place in 2012, will have a rover whose lander may become part of the International Lunar Network. The 58kg rover will go to the south pole, examine a crater and operate for up to one year.

[Paolo]

According to this week's "Air et Cosmos", Luna Glob is to be launched in 2012 on a Soyuz rocket. It will have a launch mass of 7.24 tonnes.
Four Japanese-built penetrators inherited from Lunar-A will be carried and fired to the moon. Each penetrator will weigh 45 kg including 14 kg for the penetrator proper. The payload of the orbiter will total 120 kg and include astrophysics experiments, dust monitors, plasma sensors etc. There is no mention of the polar lander that appears to have been abandoned.
After Luna Glob Russia and India should launch a joint orbiter-rover mission. The orbiter will be the Indian Chandrayaan-2, the rover a 58 kg, six wheeled, solar powered Russian design, that will land near one of the poles and will survive for a year, roving up to 150 km at a speed of 360 m/h.
The next step will include landers, long range rovers, sample returns and relay satellites. The relay satellities will be placed in elliptical orbits with apoapsis above the landing site for polar landing missions or in halo orbits around L2 for farside missions.
The final step will be a totally robotic lunar base consisting of transporters, orbiters, service modules, technological and scientific modules. 5 kg sample returns could be carried out using a standardized transporter.

[Stu]

The final step will be a totally robotic lunar base consisting of transporters, orbiters, service modules, technological and scientific modules. 5 kg sample returns could be carried out using a standardized transporter.

...followed by the construction of a full-size replica of SPACE 1999's "Moonbase Alpha", complete with gorgeous computer babes with silver suits and metallic purple hair and a fleet of Interceptors. Once that is completed they'll excavate a large pit down at Tycho crater, in which they'll start construction of the first USS Enterprise, before being interrupted by the discovery of a large, black, monolith...

[Guest_Zvezdichko_*]

Russians always think big.

[Stu]

Thinking's good. I'm all in favour of thinking. I just worry when Grand Plans are publicised before even Little Plans have come to fruition. It gives false hopes sometimes. But good luck to them.

[mps]

Four Japanese-built penetrators inherited from Lunar-A will be carried and fired to the moon. Each penetrator will weigh 45 kg including 14 kg for the penetrator proper. The payload of the orbiter will total 120 kg and include astrophysics experiments, dust monitors, plasma sensors etc. There is no mention of the polar lander that appears to have been abandoned.

I guess the idea of 10 other, Russian-built penetrators has also been abandoned, or was there any hint of them in the article?
(another example about big dreams meeting financial reality? )

[Paolo]

I guess the idea of 10 other, Russian-built penetrators has also been abandoned, or was there any hint of them in the article?

You are right, there are no mention of them either...

[Guest_Zvezdichko_*]

http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/news.shtml

Uh oh?

Russia plans to launch Luna-Glob in 2012 which will collect lunar soil...

Will this be a sample return mission?

[Phil Stooke]

I think they mean Chandrayaan 2. Lunaglob has evolved into a family of missions instead of just one, and the second was to be a rover. Now it's been combined with Chandrayaan 2 as a joint mission. It will collect soil and analyze it there, not bring it back to Earth. The sample return mission(s) to follw are called Luna-Grunt.

Phil