Chandrayaan-3 vs Luna-25: Who will reach the Moon first?

With the launch of Chandrayaan-3 on July 14, 2023, India is expecting to make history by becoming the first country to land a craft on the South Pole of the Moon. However, recent developments may thwack the country’s dreams of creating history. Russia, a close ally of India, is poised to launch its own lunar missions after 47 years.

The Roscosmos, Russia’s Space Agency, will launch the Luna-25 lander on August 11. With the launch announcement, it is expected that Russia’s Luna-25 will beat India’s Chandrayaan-3 into reaching the South Pole first, even though the latter had a headstart of four weeks.