Russia’s first lunar mission in 47 years ended in failure as its Luna-25 spacecraft lost control and ultimately crashed into the moon.
This accident was attributed to issues encountered while preparing for the pre-landing orbit, highlighting the decline of Russia’s space program in recent years.
Roscosmos, the Russian state space corporation, confirmed the loss of communication with the spacecraft at 11:57 GMT on Saturday. The incident occurred as the craft was being maneuvered into its pre-landing orbit. Originally, a soft landing had been scheduled for Monday.
“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon,” Roskosmos said in a statement.
The initial findings showed that the 800kg lander had “ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon”.
Race to Moon’s southern pole
The accident was reported as Russia was in a spacefaring contest with India to reach towards the Moon’s southern pole. India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is slated for a touchdown there in the upcoming week.
The Moons southern pole that remains perpetually shrouded in darkness is a significantly greater surface area compared to its northern counterpart. This expanse and limited knowledge of the southern region increases the prospects of discovering water in this vicinity.
The presence of water on the Moon holds the potential to sustain human presence, produce fuel, enable scientific research, reduce launch costs, and serve as a gateway for further space exploration.
No nation has achieved a successful landing at the Moon’s southern pole, although both the United States and China have previously managed soft landings on the lunar surface.
Luna-25 Moon Mission
Roscosmos had earlier acknowledged the inherent risks associated with the Luna-25 mission. The spacecraft initiated its journey from the Vostochny Cosmodrome located in the distant Amur region of eastern Russia on August 11. It successfully entered the moon’s orbit on a Wednesday earlier this week.
Luna-25 marked Russia’s first lunar endeavor since 1976 during the period of the Soviet Union, when the Luna-24 mission landed successfully.