Russia will remove half of the scientific payload from the Luna-Globe-1 spacecraft for the sake of a safe landing, Russian Academy of Sciences Space Research Institute Director Lev Zelyony told Interfax-AVN.
“Safe landing is a primary purpose of the spacecraft. The designers have asked us to approximately halve the weight of the scientific payload,” he said.
Another reason is that some instruments have not been built, Zelyony said. “The launch time is very close, in 2015, and some of the instruments are simply not ready,” he added.
Only the vital equipment will be installed, he said. Zelyony added there would be no such reductions in ExoMars and Luna-Resurs projects.
“ExoMars and Luna-Resurs will be uncut. Besides, Roscosmos has assigned a rocket for Luna-Resurs and we plan to increase its scientific payload,” he said.
Zelyony said earlier that the Luna-Globe landing module would take off in 2015, while a lunar orbiter would be sent on mission in 2016. Then the Space Research Institute and the Lavochkin Research and Production Center would send a heavy research rover to the Moon and accomplish the Luna-Resurs mission together with India.
“We intend to make the first landing on the Moon’s South Pole. The Luna-Globe landing module will do that. The Luna-Globe orbiter will be launched a year later,” Zelyony said.
It was reported earlier that a Soyuz-2 rocket would bring the Luna-Globe-1 spacecraft to the orbit. The spacecraft will weigh approximately 1,400 kilograms, fuel included. The landing module will be of approximately 500 kilograms, including 20-25 kilograms of the scientific payload. The landing module will have gadgets to look for water and a robotic arm to study rock samples.
