Russia’s lunar research was hampered when their Luna-25 spacecraft collided with the moon during a pre-landing orbit attempt.
This is Russia’s first lunar trip in 47 years, underscoring the country’s once-powerful space program’s downfall. Despite a scheduled gentle landing on Monday, the spacecraft lost communication at 11.57 GMT on Saturday owing to an incident while changing to pre-landing orbit.
The spacecraft entered an unusual orbit and impacted with the moon’s surface, according to Roskosmos, Russia’s official space organisation. An inquiry into the failure of the Luna-25 is now conducted.
The event underscores Russia’s dwindling space power since the Cold War era, when it set significant milestones such as launching the first satellite and sending the first human into space.
It also comes at a time when Russia is facing economic and geopolitical concerns. The mission’s failure contrasts with India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which is expected to arrive on the moon’s south pole, as well as China and the United States’ lunar goals.
Source: Reuters
