2023-09-01 16:32:00
The photograph was taken by the LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) probe, in orbit around the natural Earth satellite since 2009.
Teams from the US space agency compared images taken before and following the moment of impact, and observed “a new small crater”, explains a press release.
This one “is regarding 10 meters in diameter”, NASA said, and is “regarding 400 km from the planned landing site for Luna-25”.
The American space agency said it had sent commands to the LRO probe to go and observe the area communicated by the Russian space agency Roscosmos as the estimated place of the crash.
Since the crater is “close to the estimated impact point of Luna-25”, NASA teams “conclude that it is likely the result of this mission, and not a natural projectile”.
Nearly fifty years following Moscow’s last successful lunar mission, the nearly 800-kilogram Luna-25 probe crashed into the lunar surface on August 19 following an incident during a pre-landing maneuver .
Only days later, India became the first nation to land a spacecraft near the south pole of the Moon, an unexplored area that is now the focus of all attention, as there is water in the form of ice.
Nasa released an image Thursday evening of a new crater on the Moon, most likely formed by the impact of the Russian Luna-25 probe, which crashed into the lunar surface regarding two weeks ago.
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