Russia’s unmanned spacecraft, Luna-25, designed for lunar exploration, has reportedly crashed onto the Moon’s surface after losing control, marking Russia’s first lunar mission in nearly half a century.
The spacecraft was poised to achieve a historic feat by becoming the first-ever probe to land on the Moon’s south pole, but its mission unraveled due to complications encountered while transitioning into its pre-landing orbit.
With a pivotal goal of investigating the Moon’s uncharted regions, the mission aimed to probe areas that scientists believe may harbor frozen water and valuable elements.
According to Russia’s state space agency, Roscosmos, contact with the Luna-25 was lost shortly after 14:57 pm local time (11:57 GMT) on Saturday. In a statement issued on Sunday, Roscosmos revealed that preliminary investigations indicated the 800kg lander had “ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon.”
A dedicated commission will delve into the factors contributing to the mission’s failure.
The setback is a significant blow to Roscosmos. The country’s civilian space program has been grappling with dwindling resources for years, as an increasing share of state funding is directed toward military endeavors.
Russia had been in a race with India, whose Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is scheduled to land on the Moon’s south pole shortly. India’s mission involves sending a rover to explore the region’s rocks and craters, collecting data and images to relay back to Earth.
A crucial aspect of lunar exploration is the search for water, particularly in areas that remain shrouded in perpetual darkness at the Moon’s south pole. This prospect emerges due to the areas’ potential to preserve water due to the lack of direct sunlight.
