Scientists have chosen locations for Russian bases on the Moon

Russian experts have chosen sites for the deployment of national bases near the South and North poles of the Moon. Evgeny Slyuta, head of the Laboratory of Geochemistry of the Moon and Planets at the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia about this in an interview.

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The advantages of the selected sites include almost constant illumination by the Sun, uninterrupted radio visibility of the Earth, the availability of useful resources and space for research and exploration.

"Four potential sites suitable for hosting lunar stations have been selected near the South Pole. Three of them are compactly located on the ramparts of the De Gerlache, Shackleton, and Slater craters, and the fourth is slightly further away on the Leibniz Plateau," the scientist said.

According to him, China, the United States and other countries are also planning to establish stations in the southern circumpolar regions in the near future. They also claim the most convenient sites, so you should hurry up to "stake out" them.

"In general, the principle is that whoever takes the first place takes the first place," explained Slyuta the principle of land allocation. "That's why the leading powers are competing, striving to master the best sites faster."

According to the scientist, two Russian modules will be sent to the surface of the satellite in 2028 as part of the Luna-27 expedition. One will land near the South Pole, the other near the North Pole. The success of these missions will allow our country to make a significant bid for station placement in the landing area of these vehicles.

Evgeny Slyuta added that three potentially convenient sites measuring 10×10 km have been identified in the vicinity of the North Pole of the Moon. They also meet all the key criteria.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

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