Russia’s Luna-25 Spacecraft Crashes into the Moon, Ending Its Bid to Reach the Lunar South Pole
13:13 JST, August 21, 2023
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, the country’s Roscosmos space agency said Sunday.
The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. It had been expected to land Monday.
However, Roscosmos said it lost contact with the Luna-25 on Saturday after the spacecraft ran into difficulties and reported an “abnormal situation “.
“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon,” read a statement from the agency.
The Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft launched on July 14 to be the first to reach the south pole. Both were expected to reach the moon between Aug. 21 and 23.
Vitaly Egorov, a popular Russian space analyst, said despite the crash the mission had some successes.
“Luna 25 showed important progress. It flew toward the Moon, carried out orbit correction, and tested onboard electronics and scientific tools,” he said via videocall. “It even managed to collect some small scientific data during the flight and from the lunar orbit. It also sent photos of the Moon. Russian cosmonautics was not at this level before. But then, an error occurred somehow.”
The lunar mission was Russia’s first since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Only three governments have managed successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the United States and China.
The lunar south pole is of particular interest to scientists, who believe the permanently shadowed polar craters may contain frozen water in the rocks that future explorers could transform into air and rocket fuel.
A previous Indian attempt to land at the south pole in 2019 ended when the spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface.
Roscosmos said it wanted to show Russia “is a state capable of delivering a payload to the moon,” and “ensure Russia’s guaranteed access to the moon’s surface.”
Egorov said Roscosmos needs the experience of landing on the Moon.
“It will not be able to talk with China on equal terms, because China has already three successful landings on the moon, while Roscosmos has none,” he said. “Roscosmos will lag starkly behind the Chinese lunar program.”
Sanctions imposed on Russia since it began its actions in Ukraine have affected its space program, making it more difficult to access Western technology.
The Luna-25 was initially meant to carry a small moon rover but that idea was abandoned to reduce the weight of the craft for improved reliability, analysts said.
The craft launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Aug. 10. The spaceport is a pet project of Russian President Vladimir Putin and key to his efforts to make Russia a space superpower.
"News Services" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Israel Strikes Suspected Chemical Weapons Sites and Long-range Rockets in Syria
-
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Ends Higher in Choppy Trade (UPDATE 1)
-
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Slips on Firmer Yen amid BOJ Rate Hike Bets; Logs Worst Month since April (Update 1)
-
South Korea Ex-Defense Minister Accused of Role in Martial Law Tries to Commit Suicide, Official Says
-
Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average Ends Lower as Traders Book Profits, Assess US Data (Update 1)
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Core Inflation in Tokyo Accelerates in November
- China to Test Mine for Rare Metals Off Japan Island; Japan Lagging in Technologies Needed for Extraction
- Record 320 School Staff Punished for Sex Offenses in Japan
- Miho Nakayama, Japanese Actress and Singer, Found Dead at Her Tokyo Residence; She was 54 (UPDATE 1)
- Immerse Yourself in Snoopy’s World Ahead of Comic Strip’s 75th Anniversary Next Year; Renovated, Refreshed Museum Features Original, Reproduced Comic Strips, Vintage Merchandise