2023-08-19 16:23:59
An “abnormal situation” occurred on board Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft on Saturday as it prepared to enter its landing orbit, Russian space agency Roscosmos said.
The Russian spacecraft is due to touch down on the Moon’s south pole on Monday, part of a major power race to explore a part of the Moon that scientists believe may contain frozen water and elements precious.
“During the operation, an abnormal situation arose on board the automatic station, which did not allow the maneuver to be performed with the specified parameters,” Roscosmos said in a brief statement.
Specialists are analyzing the situation, without giving further details.
Earlier, Roscosmos said it had received the first results from the Luna-25 mission and that they are being analyzed.
The agency also released images of the moon’s Zeeman crater taken by the spacecraft. It is the third deepest crater in the moon’s southern hemisphere, with a diameter of 190 km and a depth of 8 km.
Roscosmos said the data received so far has provided information regarding the chemical elements present in the lunar soil and will also facilitate the operation of devices designed to study the near surface of the moon.
Roscosmos added that its equipment recorded “the impact of a micrometeorite”.
The Luna-25 probe entered lunar orbit on Wednesday, making it the first Russian spacecraft to do so since 1976.
The size of a small car, it will aim to operate for a year on the South Pole, where scientists from NASA and other space agencies have detected traces of frozen water in craters in recent years.
The presence of water has implications for the major space powers, as it might allow humans to stay longer on the moon and exploit its resources. (Writing: Gareth Jones; Editing: Jane Merriman)
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