In 2028, Russia intends to launch a spacecraft with a crew to the moon. The manned flight to a natural satellite of the Earth is part of the Russian deep space exploration program. According to TASS, the draft long-term program was sent for approval to the Russian government.
Flight tests of a promising new generation transport complex (PTK-NP) will take place in 2024, four years before the manned flight. The manned and automatic means in low-earth orbit with the involvement of the ISS will be preliminary tested.
Until 2040, Russia plans to explore the moon in three stages. According to the program, the study will begin with the landing of research modules on the lunar surface and end with the creation of infrastructure facilities.
It is planned to land automatic interplanetary stations "Luna-25" and "Luna-27" near the South Pole of the Moon, study the surface loose layer of local soil (regolith) with instruments from the station "Luna-26" with the subsequent delivery of samples to Earth by the station "Luna 28". According to the agency, the researchers plan to find out the composition and physicochemical properties of the regolith and choose the most promising place for deploying a base and a test site on the Moon.
At the second stage, it is planned to carry out manned flights in the circumlunar space and to carry out the interaction of astronauts with automatic stations in the orbit of the Moon and on its surface. The third stage includes manned expeditions and work on the creation of lunar infrastructure after 2030.
It is proposed to develop a natural satellite of the Earth with the involvement of private companies, but only after evaluating the lunar deposits. The authors of the program note that geological exploration of the lunar interior by the leading space powers will begin in the next two to three decades.