ESA Discussing With Russia Making Payloads, Engines For Lunar Missions - Director-General

ESA Discussing With Russia Making Payloads, Engines for Lunar Missions - Director-General

The European Space Agency (ESA) is in discussions with Russia on making various types of equipment including payloads and engines for its lunar missions, Director-General Jan Woerner told Sputnik

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2019) The European Space Agency (ESA) is in discussions with Russia on making various types of equipment including payloads and engines for its lunar missions, Director-General Jan Woerner told Sputnik.

"There is a discussion going on on payloads and also technologies. We are also discussing with Russia what we can deliver in detail," Woerner said.

Woerner noted that they are not producing anything yet and remain in negotiations with Russia.

In early January, Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said that the Luna-25, which was initially planned to be launched in 2014, would be sent to the moon in 2021.

The Luna-26 and the Luna-27 missions are slated for 2023 and 2024 respectively, according to Rogozin.

Luna-25, which will be the first Russian mission to the moon after a 40-year hiatus, is projected to search for water ice at the earth natural satellite's south pole and test the lunar soft landing technologies.

The Luna-26 orbital vehicle will conduct mapping and remote sensing of the moon, while the Luna-27 lander will take samples of soil at the south pole of the moon and study it.

In 2027, the Luna-28 lander is scheduled to take cryogenic soil samples from the south pole of the moon to the Earth. In 2028, the Luna-29 lander will deliver a rover to the moon.