![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Russia mulls new-generation lunar lander
Around half a century after a first fruitless attempt to put a cosmonaut on the Moon, a new generation of Russian space engineers embarked on the development of a piloted lunar lander, in accordance with the nation's 10-year space plan starting in 2016. However, unlike the one-seat module of the first Moon Race, the future lander had to support long-term exploration of the Moon and deliver crew anywhere on the lunar surface. Previous chapter: Lunar base Russian lunar lander concept circa 2015. Read our introductory article on the subject at:
In 2015, after several years of preliminary studies, the Russian space agency, Roskosmos, made plans to begin funding the development of a lunar lander and associated systems which would be necessary to deliver crews from lunar orbit to the surface of the Moon. In the official documentation, the project was officially identified as Lunar Ascent and Descent Complex, LVPK. According to the Russian lunar exploration plans circa 2015, the lander would be delivered to the lunar orbit by a dedicated rocket without a crew. It would then rendezvous and dock with a piloted transport vehicle in the lunar orbit. The lander would then deliver the crew to the surface and its ascent stage would carry cosmonauts back to the lunar orbit for a rendezvous with a transport vehicle for trip back to Earth. Several concepts of the lunar lander were formulated in 2016. At the time, the spacecraft had the following specifications:
Comparison of lunar landers systems:
Lunar lander studies for the Gateway station (2016-2018) (INSIDER CONTENT) Between 2016 and 2018, Russian industry conducted a new phase of the lunar lander design asociated with the planning for the International Cis-Lunar Platform, a.k.a. the Lunar Gateway. Not coincidently, Korolev-based RKK Energia did its research into the LVPK lander system in parallel with the work of NASA's Lander Study Group then recently formed for looking into lunar expeditions to be staged from the Gateway. (INSIDER CONTENT)
|
conceptualized during 2015 to be compatible with
|
![]() |