Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft collides with the lunar surface

 

Russian officials report that the unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft has impacted the Moon following an uncontrolled spin.

Russia's first lunar mission in nearly half a century ended in disappointment as the unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the Moon. The mission, which aimed to make history by landing at the Moon's south pole, encountered critical issues during its transition to the pre-landing orbit. The primary objective of the Luna-25 craft was to explore a specific region on the Moon's surface that scientists believe could potentially contain frozen water and valuable resources. On Sunday morning, Russia's state space corporation, Roscosmos, announced the loss of contact with Luna-25, shortly after 14:57 pm on Saturday (11:57 GMT). Preliminary assessments indicate that the 800kg lander met its end due to a collision with the lunar surface. A dedicated investigative commission will delve into the reasons behind the mission's failure. The setback is a setback for Roscosmos, reflecting the decline of Russia's civil space program over recent years due to a redirection of state funds towards military priorities. Interestingly, Russia had been in a race to reach the Moon's south pole, competing with India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, scheduled for a landing next week. Chandrayaan-3, upon landing, will take time for the lunar dust to settle before its six-wheeled rover embarks on its exploration, capturing essential data and transmitting images back to Earth for analysis. The Moon's south pole, with its extensive areas in perpetual shadow, is more promising for water discovery than its northern counterpart. This setback underscores the complexities and challenges of lunar exploration, reminding us of the intricacies involved in space endeavors.

Roscosmos had openly acknowledged the inherent risks associated with the Luna-25 mission, recognizing the possibility of failure. The spacecraft took off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's remote Amur region on August 11. Subsequently, it accomplished a successful insertion into the Moon's orbit earlier this week. The ambitious objective was to etch history by achieving a gentle lunar landing, slated for either Monday or Tuesday, a mere few days ahead of India's anticipated touchdown. Notably, no nation had ever accomplished a landing at the Moon's southern pole, although both the United States and China had achieved controlled lunar surface landings. Luna-25 marked Russia's reentry into lunar exploration after a hiatus since 1976 when it was a constituent of the Soviet Union. During that venture, Luna-24 successfully executed a landing operation.