Russia Maintaining Long Term Lunar Ambitions

Despite its current problems, which include a 30% cut in funding over the next decade, and the recently announced delay of its heavy lift launch vehicle plans, the Russian space program is keeping its long term ambitions focused squarely on the Moon.

Sergey Krikalev, executive director of Roscosmos State Space Corporation told TASS on April 5th, that Russia is still laying the groundwork for a five year lunar exploration program that will see the first landing take place in 2030, with a gradual buildup of assets occurring over a five year period.

Those assets would include “a solar power station, telecommunication station, technological station, scientific station, long-range research rover, landing and launch area and satellite in lunar orbit.

In case you were hoping to enjoy a good steak while you are looking back home at Earth however, you might as well go ahead and lower your expectations now. In telling the paper that the settlement will not include permanent residents, he added somewhat bizarrely “There will be no settlement like a village in which people live, tending cows, for a rather long time yet, most likely.”

See Related: Russia Wants a Heavy Lift Booster it Has No Use For