Russian moon program’s stages get names, including ‘Outpost’ and ‘Base’

The names for the three stages of Russia’s lunar exploration program have begun to appear in government purchase documents, the state-owned wire service TASS has found. Russia’s moon program, which was adopted in 2018, is scheduled for completion by 2040, with manned spaceflights beginning around 2030.

The program’s three stages are reportedly named “Foray,” “Outpost,” and “Base.” The documents TASS obtained did not indicate what kinds of operations each stage would involve.