Russia's Luna-25 Spacecraft 'Ceased to Exist' After Crashing Into the Moon
Russia's attempt to land on the Moon ended in failure on Saturday as the Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the surface.
As AP reports, the Russian space agency Roscosmos reported an "abnormal situation" after the spacecraft attempted to move into a pre-landing orbit. The automatic maneuver went wrong and the craft was placed in an "unpredictable orbit," which eventually led to the crash.
In a statement, Roscosmos confirmed the mission failure, "The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon."
The main aim of the Luna-25 mission, according to Roscosmos, was to demonstrate Russia "is a state capable of delivering a payload to the Moon." It was also meant to guarantee Russia's access to the surface for future missions. It failed on both counts, but not everyone in Russia views Luna-25 as a failure.
Russian space analyst Vitaly Egorov told AP:
"Luna 25 showed important progress. It flew toward the Moon, carried out orbit correction, and tested onboard electronics and scientific tools ... 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."
It's currently unclear if Russia will attempt another Moon landing anytime soon. Roscosmos may struggle to source the materials and parts it needs due to ongoing sanctions against the country, although some companies have ignored them. The value of Russia's ruble has also fallen considerably, meaning much higher costs for new spacecraft builds.
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