Putin Vows Russia Will Return to Moon, Despite Western Sanctions

Russia will resume its moon-exploration program, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday, paving the way for a new space race as international space cooperation comes under strain following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East to commemorate Yury Gagarin’s orbiting of the Earth in 1961, Mr. Putin said Russia would resume its lunar program through the launch of its Luna-25 moon probe from the spaceport later this year.