Russia’s state corporation responsible for the space science program Roskosmos accepted the design model of the lunar space station Moon-25 developed within the Moon-Globe project.

The Moon-25 automatic interplanetary station (AIS) will become the first mission within the Russian lunar program, which will begin in 2019. The purpose of the project is to create an automated probe for conducting complex research on the Moon’s surface near the polar regions. The timeframe for realizing the Moon-Globe project is 3.5 years, Roskosmos said in a statement on August 18, 2017.

The Lavochkin Research and Production Association aerospace company will undertake project planning and execution. The aerospace company CEO Sergey Lemeshevsky emphasized the need to implement cutting edge administrative approaches to realize the Moon-Globe project, as well as the ExoMars initiative.

The Russian lunar program envisions launching the Luna-26 lunar orbiter in 2020. The Luna-27 lander mission is planned for 2021. The Luna-29 mission for returning samples from the moon’s surface is planned for 2024.