Photo: Sputnik

Photo: Sputnik

The Russian Space Research Institute on Monday published the first images provided by the Luna-25 lunar mission.

The first lunar mission in Russia's post-Soviet space history launched on Friday and is scheduled to land on the Moon on August 21.

On Sunday, the mission went activate and carried out their first measurements.

The space corporation confirmed that telemetry information from all the devices showed that they function nominally. The data gathered by the station on its way to the Moon was already received, and the project's scientific team began processing it.

Luna-25 is part of the Russian lunar program for the exploration and practical use of the Moon and its orbit to establish a fully automated lunar base. It is also the first lunar mission to attempt landing at the Moon's South Pole rather than its equator. After the landing, Luna-25 will collect lunar soil samples and examine them for the presence of ice.

The first lunar mission in Russia's post-Soviet space history was launched on August 12 and is scheduled to land on the Moon on August 21.