Russia's Roscosmos backs plan for two lunar robotic stations Funding hurdles remain

Roscosmos (state corporation of the Russian Federation responsible for space flights, cosmonautics program, and aerospace research) has expressed support for the development of two Luna-27 robotic lunar stations, though a final decision on the project is pending due to financial constraints. 

Academician Lev Zeleny, scientific director of the Institute of Space Research (ISR) and head of the initial phase of Russia's lunar program, shared this information in an interview with Russian media, as per Caliber.Az.

“Roscosmos supports the initiative, but, unfortunately, it cannot produce money on its own, so no final decision has been made,” Zeleny stated when asked about the status of the proposal to create and launch two Luna-27 missions.

Zeleny suggested that if only one Luna-27 is feasible, it should be directed to the Moon's North Pole rather than the South Pole, which will be more thoroughly explored by then. “If we cannot build two vehicles, the single vehicle should be sent to the North Pole — an area that has yet to be explored. This is the current plan,” he added.

He emphasized that designing two spacecraft simultaneously was a common practice in the Soviet space program, which improved reliability and streamlined development. “In the Soviet era, we built pairs of spacecraft — lunar, Martian, and Venusian missions — for greater reliability. Constructing a second Luna-27 would not double the cost but increase it by only about a third, as both vehicles could share the same equipment for testing,” Zeleny explained.

The Luna-27 mission is slated for launch between 2028 and 2029. It aims to test high-precision landing technologies and conduct research in the Moon’s polar regions.

In 2023, Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov indicated that the state corporation was considering the Russian Academy of Sciences' proposal for two Luna-27 missions, named Luna-27a and Luna-27b, to enhance mission reliability. Zeleny noted that constructing two vehicles would only marginally increase costs compared to a single unit. If the initial mission succeeds, a second Luna-27 could be launched shortly thereafter, potentially targeting the Moon’s North Pole or its far side.