A historic attempt by Russia to carry out its first lunar mission in almost 50 years it was marked by a tragic outcome. The Russian spacecraft Luna-25, which was scheduled to land on the Moon’s south pole, met its end in a collision with the lunar surface.
The mission, which carried with it great scientific expectations and would mark a milestone in Russian space exploration, has now become a milestone of disappointment.
The failure of the Russian lunar mission
Luna-25, designed to conduct studies on the lunar soil for about a year, had its fate drastically changed due to an interruption in communication with the probe.
For its part, the Russian space agency Roscosmos reported that efforts to establish contact with the spacecraft were unsuccessful. In this regard, preliminary calculations indicate that Luna-25 deviated from its planned orbit before the fatal collision.
Furthermore, the agency said that a committee of experts will be formed to investigate the reasons behind the failure of the mission.
News of the collision came shortly after the probe reported an “emergency situation” during the attempt to enter a pre-landing orbit, which ended up preventing the maneuver from being carried out according to the established parameters.
Image: Roscosmos/Reproduction
Remembering the space past
The last Russian lunar probe to reach the Moon was Luna-24, in 1976, when Russia was still part of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the NASA completed its last human landing on the Moon in 1972.
Russia’s return to lunar missions with Luna-25 was eagerly awaited, but the results now leave a bitter taste in the history of Russian space exploration.
The Luna-25 mission was launched on August 10, with the expectation of carrying out detailed studies on the Moon. The probe sent its first images from space on August 13, including selfies with the Moon and Earth in the background.
The spacecraft reached lunar orbit on August 16, but problems arose at the crucial moment of landing.
Luna-25’s primary landing region would be Boguslawsky Crater, with backup landing spots available in other areas.
The main scientific objectives included the search for water ice, the analysis of regolith and lunar rocks, and testing technologies for future Moon landing missions.
The success of India’s Chandrayaan 3
While Russia faces the disappointment of the Luna-25 failure, India has also launched a probe to the Moon. Chandrayaan 3 probe it was the first to land on the Moon’s south pole recently, between August 23rd and 24th.
In turn, NASA also maintains ambitious plans for the south pole of the Moon through its Artemis program. Despite the Luna-25 mission setback, space exploration continues to advance around the world.
The incident serves as a reminder of the complexity and challenges involved in lunar exploration and the importance of learning from each attempt, regardless of the outcome.
In short, the search for knowledge of the Universe continues, and the eyes of science and humanity remain focused on the stars. https://uk.moyens.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Failed-Russias-Luna-25-probe-collides-with-the-Moon-after-decades.PNG
