Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

The image was taken by the camera of the STS-L complex aboard the Luna-25 spacecraft on August 13, 2023 during the flight to the Moon. The emblem of the mission and the bucket of the LMK lunar manipulator complex are visible (top left). Photo: IKI RAS

En route to a rendezvous with the Moon, Russia’s Luna-25 has sent back first images from space.

Using the STS-L onboard television camera, images show the structural elements of Luna-25 against the background of the Earth and against the background of the Moon.

Another image shows the mission emblem and the onboard manipulator bucket.

So far, all spacecraft instruments show full operability and readiness for lunar exploration. Their analog and digital nodes and blocks worked perfectly, according to the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI RAS).

Image of the Earth taken by the camera of the STS-L complex aboard the Luna-25 spacecraft during the flight to the Moon on August 13, 2023, from a distance of about 310 thousand km from the Earth. Photos: IKI RAS

Image of the Moon taken by the camera of the STS-L complex aboard the Luna-25 spacecraft during the flight to the Moon on August 13, 2023, from a distance of about 310 thousand km from the Earth. Photos: IKI RAS