After nearly 50 years, Russia has attempted to put another lander on the moon. A slight deviation in trajectory resulted in a catastrophic crash instead.
The Luna-25 probe, carrying the hopes of Russia’s first moon mission in nearly five decades, has ended in disaster following a crash. The spacecraft deviated from its expected course and, as a result, “ceased to exist” after smacking into the lunar surface, says a statement by the Russian space agency Roscosmos on Telegram. Officials say more details about the failed mission will be shared after an inter-department investigation.
Issues started soon after a pre-orbit command was relayed to the Luna-25 probe on August 19, leading to an emergency scenario that prevented the spacecraft from executing a pre-planned maneuver. The probe was scheduled for a soft landing in the moon’s south polar region on August 21. Communication with the probe was lost at around 8 a.m. Eastern time on August 19, and all subsequent efforts to re-establish contact proved futile.
The failure underscores Russia’s current laggardness in the space race, despite leading space exploration during the Soviet Union era.
