BLAST OFF

Russia Launches First Moon-Landing Mission in Almost 50 Years

A new international space race is on to find water on the lunar surface.

Russia launched its first spacecraft heading to the moon for the first time in almost half a century on Friday. A Soyuz 2.1 rocket carrying the Luna-25 lander blasted off from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia’s far east on a mission aiming to explore the lunar south pole, where pockets of ice water are believed to be found. It’s the first Russian lunar mission in 47 years and comes amid growing international competition for nations seeking to become the first to find water on the moon. The lander is expected to reach the lunar surface on Aug. 21, Russia’s space chief, Yuri Borisov, told state television. “I hope that a highly precise soft landing on the moon will take place,” he said after the launch. “We hope to be first.”