Russia announced planned to launch lunar lander this week after several delays

Russia has announced that it planned to launch a lunar lander this week after several delays, hoping to return to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years.

Russia's space agency Roscosmos said, the Luna-25 lander would be launched in the early hours of Friday. The launch is



the first mission of Moscow's new lunar programme, and it comes as President Vladimir Putin seeks to boost space collaboration with China after relations with the West deteriorated following the start of Moscow's attack in Ukraine last year.