A roadmap has been laid out by a committee, which comprised of esteemed members from prestigious institutions such as The Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow State University and Roscosmos (a private firm). According to this roadmap, Russia will have a colony on Moon by 2040 if everything goes according to plan. The primary purpose of this colony has been declared as that of a base of operations which will revolve around space exploration. The committee has a goal of setting up this system before any competitor countries.
According to the roadmap; the project will kick off in 2016 with lunar rovers searching the Moon’s surface for a feasible site; a site which is rich in minerals and water deposits. Manned missions will begin in 2028; however, no landing by humans will take place till 2030 after which the construction and setting up of the base will require 10 years to complete. The cost estimate stands at a figure of $816 million which shall be covered by public and private sources.
According to Ivan Moiseyev; Moon is ‘the first step on the way to deep space’ and therefore, just setting up a base on the moon is not the primary goal of Russia here. Instead; Russia plans on using this base as a launching pad for its explorations of space and other planets/stars.
