News of science and technology around the world

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Sending Russia's Luna-25 station to the Moon and mission objectives. The Russian Soyuz-2.1B rocket with the Luna-25 automatic station launched today at 02:10 am Moscow time from pad 1C of the Vostochny cosmodrome. We can say that this is a historic moment, since this is the first launch of a Soyuz rocket with a Russian lunar lander in 47 years. The carrier rocket has worked in the normal mode, the upper stage has separated from the third stage of the rocket and is currently putting the automatic station on a flight trajectory to the Moon. The flight to the Moon will take about 5 days, during which time there will be two trajectory corrections: the first - 1.5 days after launch, the second - a day before entering orbit around the Moon. After performing the calculations, a soft landing should occur for the first time in the world in the region of the South Pole of the Moon. Tentatively this will happen on August 21st. The station will conduct a whole range of studies - first of all, the search for water. If successful, the prospect of building a lunar base and industrial use of the satellite opens up. The station will take lunar soil for one year, study it and transmit data to the ground. In 2027, Russia should launch the Luna-26 station, in 2028 - Luna-27, and sometime after 2030 - Luna-28. These four missions will be the first phase. After that, Russia, together with China, will move on to the next phase - the possibility of a manned visit to the moon and the construction of a lunar base. At the same time, the Indian spacecraft Chandrayan-3 is heading towards the Moon. Both missions are aimed at the little-studied South Pole of the Moon.

 

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Pilot robot PIBOT can replace pilots. As you know, automation and robotization are gradually reducing the number of workers, it would seem that this will not affect the pilots so quickly, but progress has also affected them. South Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) engineers and researchers have created the first robotic aircraft pilot. The PIBOT pilot robot controls the aircraft with its own hands, while it is not known whether it can replace the pilots, but the robot is quite well done. The humanoid robot uses data from the sensors of the aircraft, and what he sees himself with the help of the camera. The creators claim that in some areas it even surpasses a person - for example, it holds the plane more evenly during takeoff and landing. The robot is able to read and memorize flight charts and emergency protocols, while quickly responding to emergencies. Unlike other systems, the robot does not require modification of the aircraft - it can control any aircraft. The robot can already control all the operations of the simulator aircraft, such as taxiing, takeoff, landing and flight. The project is expected to be fully developed in 2026.

 

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Heavy Duty Robot Figure-01 shown in USA. The American startup Figure showed the first video of its robot Figure 01 walking, which will have to replace people when performing heavy mechanical work. The company was able to attract $70 million in investments into the project in just a year. The company's founder, Brett Adcock, recruited professionals from companies such as Boston Dynamics, Google Deepmind, Tesla and Apple. Figure, a humanoid robot, is designed to perform simple tasks in a warehouse, such as moving items. However, over time its functionality will expand. Now the 168-centimeter Figure robot is already capable of carrying loads weighing up to 20 kg. To train the robot to become a loader, the company even built a warehouse.

 

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The first flight of the Russian long-haul passenger aircraft Il-96-400M took place. The flight of the prototype aircraft took place at an altitude of up to 2000 meters, at a speed of up to 390 km/h and lasted 26 minutes. The aircraft can accommodate up to 370 passengers, and the new navigation system is created from Russian components taking into account current international requirements. The aircraft is a modernized version of the Il-96-300, features a fuselage lengthened by 9.35 meters and is equipped with more powerful Russian PS-90A1 engines. The aircraft may have a cargo configuration. The maximum flight range of the Il-96-400M in a two-class passenger configuration is 8.1 thousand km. During the first flight, stability, controllability, systems, and radio equipment were checked.

 

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The Aeromax company announced the launch of production of a new model of the Russian unmanned cargo helicopter SH-3000. The SH-3000 helicopter-type drone was developed very quickly, its development began a year ago. The first prototypes of the helicopter will appear in 2024 and testing will begin then. So far, only civilian versions of drones have been reported. The SH-3000 drone is adapted for flights in difficult weather conditions. The length of the helicopter is about 13 meters. Its maximum speed reaches 210 km/h. The drone is capable of staying in the air for up to five hours and covering a distance of up to 900 km. The cargo drone is designed to transport cargo weighing up to 1000 kilograms. It is planned to use the helicopter in hard-to-reach regions of Russia.