Russia plans to send lunar lander to the moon next year

Russia has set its sights on the moon as it prepares to send a lunar lander into space next year.

"The Luna-25 space project opens a long-term Russian lunar program, which includes missions to study the moon from orbit and surface, the collection and return of lunar soil to Earth, as well as, in the future, the construction of a visited lunar base and full-scale development of our satellite," a statement from Roscosmos officials says, according to Scientific American.

The outlet reported that Russia is working in a partnership with the European Space Agency. The launch is slated for October 2021. 

While the former Soviet Union never planted human feet on the moon, it did achieve a number of other accomplishments according to Scientific American.

"The Soviet Union was the earliest to send a spacecraft to the moon, perform a flyby of its far side, make a soft landing on its surface, send an orbiter around it and return a circumlunar probe back to Earth, as well as to robotically return lunar samples. And the nation landed the first rover to wheel across the natural satellite’s landscape," according to the website.

Other nations, including the U.S., are involved in moon-related efforts. NASA plans to send humans to the moon, including the first woman, through the Artemis program.