Russia successfully launches its first mission to the Moon in nearly 50 years

For the first time in nearly 50 years, Russia has successfully launched a spacecraft to the Moon.

The “Soyuz-2.1b” rocket carrying the Luna-25 craft took off from Vostochny space centre in the far east of the country overnight.

The lander will reach lunar orbit in five days’ time, staying there for up to a week as it chooses the right spot to land.

A source at the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, says it expects the lunar landing to take place around the 21 August, with plans for the spacecraft to remain on the moon for a year.

Roughly the size of a small car, Luna-25 will operate on the Moon’s south pole, where scientists at NASA and other space agencies in recent years have detected traces of water ice.

Major powers, including the United States, China, India, Japan, and the European Union have all been probing the Moon in recent years.