Exploration of the Moon by Automatic Spacecraft

Problems of the study and exploration of the Moon, which is of paramount interest for cosmogony, planetology, and Earth sciences in the context of a comprehensive study of the Solar System, are discussed. A historical review of lunar exploration is given, a fundamental contribution to which was made by the Soviet lunar program, carried out with the help of automatic spacecraft in the first decades of the space age. The review is timed to coincide with the revival of lunar exploration within the framework of the Russian national space program. The current state of knowledge about the Moon is considered—first of all, key questions about its origin and early evolution. This is of paramount importance for the reconstruction of the main processes of formation of the entire family of bodies in the Solar System, including the early history of the Earth, as well as the reasons for the various evolutionary paths of the Earth and the terrestrial planets. At the present stage, exploration of the Moon as a strategic foothold on the path of human space exploration and the creation of elements of the future lunar infrastructure using local natural resources in the potentially most demanded polar regions are urgent. The South Pole is the target of the Russian Luna-25 and Luna-27 missions, with an extensive science program that aims to start a multipurpose program with the efficient use of new-generation robotics. This program predates Russian plans for manned flights to the Moon.