Russia’s Luna-25 crashed on the Moon’s surface, ending its first mission to the lunar surface 47 years after the last landing by the former Soviet Union.This leaves India’s Chandrayaan-3 on course to become the first spacecraft to land near the Lunar South Pole.Russia’s Luna-25 marked the resumption of lunar interest and plans to continue the Luna series.
Luna-25 Mission
- The Luna 25 mission, originally named Luna-Glob, underwent over two decades of development before joining the historic Luna series initiated in 1976.
- The mission aimed to secure Russia’s access to the Moon’s surface amid its significance in space exploration and geopolitical rivalry.
- While Russia and China lead the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS), the U.S. heads the Artemis Accords.
Failure
- The Luna 25 spacecraft encountered a technical glitch, surpassing its operational limits.
- The failure appears linked to an attempt to shift its circular orbit to a lower pre-landing orbit.
- Excessive thrust during this maneuver caused a trajectory deviation, causing the craft to crash onto the Moon’s surface.
- Roscosmos lost communication during this critical event.
- Due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia lost its privileges to use satellite tracking systems operated by countries in different parts of the world. Roscosmos could contact Luna 25, and receive signals from the spacecraft, only at three stations: two in Russia and one in Russian-occupied Crimea.
- ISRO, unlike Russia, is receiving help from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) to track Chandrayaan 3 around the moon.