Russian lunar programme: Luna-27a and Luna-27b

The Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences has come up with a new proposal that could help the Russian lunar program.

According to Academician Lev Zeleny, Scientific Director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, they need to learn from mistakes and gain experience, otherwise they will certainly face difficulties when they target the moon again. Therefore, the upcoming landing mission on the moon will be double, meaning that the Luna-27 mission will consist of two parts. One from Luna-27a and one from Luna-27b. The two spacecraft will be launched 6-9 months apart in the same year. Luna-27a is scheduled to launch, then land successfully and conduct scientific research, followed by the launch of Luna-27b several months later. Lev Zeleny believes that the plans expressed by Yuri Borisov regarding carrying out the mission in 2028 can be implemented, so this time will be enough to prepare and test the two spacecraft. Luna-27a will certainly target the Moon's south pole, just like its predecessor Luna-25. If all goes well, version B could be sent to the North Pole or even to the far side of the Moon. According to calculations, two spacecraft will cost only 30-35% more than one. According to Zeleny, a relatively small increase in prices significantly increases the efficiency of the scientific mission. Meanwhile, Roscosmos continues to investigate the causes of the Luna-25 crash to avoid similar accidents in the future.