The Russian device PmL ("Lunar Dust Monitoring"), which was planned to be used during the national mission "Luna-25", may be sent to the moon on board the Chinese spacecraft "Chang'e-7", said the scientific director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences Lev Zeleny.

According to the scientist, now Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration are agreeing on the technical details of sending the Russian device to the moon. PmL was developed specifically for "Luna-25", but Chinese colleagues decided to use the equipment for their mission. The device is needed to capture dust particles that acquire an electric charge and levitate on the illuminated side of the moon. Previously, such particles were registered using optical methods.

"Luna-25" mission started from the Vostochny cosmodrome on August 11, 2023. Before the device was put on the pre-landing orbit, the connection with it was interrupted. Later it became known that the research equipment collided with the surface of the moon. Roscosmos noted that this was due to the abnormal operation of the corrective engine.

China's lunar mission is scheduled for 2026. It is expected that "Chang'e-7" will help collect the information necessary to create a future research base on the moon.