Luna 25 crashes: Russian space agency announced on Sunday that an initial analysis of the moon lander indicates that a difference between the planned and actual propulsion maneuver caused the spacecraft to move into an unintended orbit. This ultimately led to the spacecraft colliding with the moon’s surface and being lost.
Russia’s ambitious lunar mission, the Luna-25, has ended in failure as the spacecraft spun out of control and ultimately crashed into the surface of the Moon. This marks a disappointing end to Russia’s first moon mission in nearly half a century, as the country’s state space corporation, Roskosmos, announced the tragic incident.
The lunar south pole is a highly coveted target among space-faring nations, including the US and China. India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is orbiting the moon and will likely attempt a landing near the pole this week.
As per ISRO, Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 Hrs. IST.