Officials, have reported that, Russia’s unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft has met with an unfortunate end, crashing into the Moon after losing control. This marked Russia’s inaugural lunar mission in nearly five decades.
Originally intended to make history as the first craft to touch down on the Moon’s southern pole, the mission encountered complications as it transitioned into its final approach, ultimately leading to its failure.
The objective of the mission was to investigate a Moon region speculated by scientists to harbor frozen water and valuable elements.
In a statement released on Sunday morning, Roscosmos, Russia’s state space agency, disclosed the loss of communication with Luna-25 shortly after 14:57 pm (11:57 GMT) on the previous Saturday. Early assessments indicated that the 800kg lander had collided with the Moon’s surface, resulting in its dissolution.
The agency outlined its intention to establish a specialized committee to delve into the causes behind the mission’s downfall.
The setback of Luna-25 is a significant setback for Roscosmos, as Russia’s non-military space initiatives have faced decline due to a redirection of state finances towards military endeavors over recent years.
Russia had been in a race with India to reach the Moon’s southern pole, with India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft slated to make a landing and dispatch a rover for the purpose of exploring the lunar landscape, gathering vital data and images for transmission back to Earth.
The perpetual shadow cast over portions of the Moon’s southern pole has piqued interest due to its potential to house water.
A spokesperson for the Indian space agency Isro described the Luna-25 crash as “unfortunate”.
“Every space mission is very risky and highly technical. It’s unfortunate that Luna-25 has crashed,” they told the BBC.
Roscosmos had acknowledged that the Luna-25 mission was risky and could fail. The craft launched from Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region of Russia on 11 August, and then successfully entered the moon’s orbit on Wednesday of this week.
It was expected to make history by making a soft landing on Monday or Tuesday, just days before the Indian touchdown.
No country has ever landed on the Moon’s south pole before, although both the US and China have landed softly on the Moon’s surface.
Luna-25 was Russia’s first Moon mission since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. That mission, Luna-24, landed successfully.