Russia presenting model of Luna-25 Moon exploration spacecraft at Le Bourget Air Show 2015 (original) (raw)

MOSCOW, June 15. /TASS/. Russian space agency Roscosmos and United Rocket and Space Corporation (URSC) are taking part in Le Bourget Paris Air Show 2015 which opened on Monday.

The Roscosmos press service said that aerospace company NPO Lavochkin is presenting the model of Luna-25 spacecraft (from Luna-Glob project) which is planned to start Moon exploration in 2024, according to Federal Space Program for 2016-2025.

"It is worth noting that the spacecraft will for the first time land on the pole of the Earth’s satellite, while all other spacecraft previously landed on the Lunar equator," Roscosmos said.

NPO Lavochkin will also present Spektr-RG space telescope which is due to start operating in March 2017 at Langrangian point (1.5 million kilometers away from the Earth) and continue exploration in the framework of the Spektr-RG project.

Roscosmos head Igor Komarov, URSC acting general director Yury Vlasov and largest space companies’ managers are holding talks with partners from Europe, Japan and US about further cooperation in "peaceful space," the press service added.

Russian space and rocket corporation RKK Energia will present a promising transport spacecraft of the new generation (PPTS - Prospective Piloted Transport System) at Paris Air Show. According to the Federal Space Program, it will be launched by the Angara carrier rocket from the Vostochny spaceport in 2021.

"TsNIIMash [Central Research Institute of Machine Building] is presenting a unique experimental base for resource, durability and static tests of carrier rockets, large-sized units and rocket stages. There are no similar bases of ground experimental processing of carriers with such characteristics in Europe, it is the only such base in Russia - maximal height at 20 meters, and diameter - at 16 meters," Roscosmos said.

Le Bourget Paris Air Show is one of the largest and most prestigious aerospace exhibitions in the world. It is held every two years near Le Bourget airport on the outskirts of Paris. The air show was first held in 1909. In 1949, demonstration flights became part of the air show. USSR first took part in the exhibition in 1937, and Russia regularly participates in the air show.

Le Bourget Paris Air Show which opened today will run until June 21. More than 2,000 companies from 46 countries are taking part in the air show, including 37 Russian companies.