MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th April, 2021) Russian officials have agreed with President Vladimir Putin a national strategy for exploring the moon and Mars during a meeting on Monday, the International Day of Human Space Flight, media said.
This was disclosed in the "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin show" broadcast Sunday by the state news channel Rossiya 1.
"Plans to send manned missions to the moon and a mission to Mars were approved during a meeting with the president," it was announced.
Russia also plans to build a nuclear-powered vehicle as part of the deep space exploration program. The Roscosmos space agency's chief, Dmitry Rogozin, told the show that the design was already in the pipeline.
Russia plans to send a robotic probe to the moon this year, the first lunar mission in its modern history. The Soviet Union last launched a lunar probe in 1976. A Russia-EU mission to Mars is set for 2022.
