2023-08-20 09:59:11
Luna-25, the first probe to be launched by Russia to the Moon since 1976, crashed into the natural satellite following an incident on Saturday during a maneuver prior to its moon landing originally scheduled for Monday, a announced the space agency Roscosmos.
After “an impulse given to form its elliptical pre-moon landing orbit”, communication with Luna-25 was interrupted around 2:57 p.m. Saturday, Roscosmos explained on Sunday.
“According to the preliminary results” of the investigation, the device “ceased to exist following a collision with the lunar surface”, added the space agency. “The measures taken on August 19 and 20 to search for the device and get in touch with it did not yield any results,” she further lamented.
“An interministerial commission” will be responsible for understanding “the reasons” for the incident which caused “the loss” of Luna-25, Roscosmos also announced, which did not give possible causes for the technical problem that arose.
A flagship program launched by Vladimir Putin
This failure comes at a time when President Vladimir Putin had promised to continue the new Russian lunar program despite funding problems, the suspension of partnerships with the West due to the conflict in Ukraine and corruption scandals.
The Luna-25 mission, which was intended to give new impetus to the Russian space sector, was announced as “risky” by the very admission of the boss of Roscosmos Yuri Borissov. Faced with Vladimir Putin last June, he declared that “the probability of success of such missions is estimated at around 70%”.
A one-year mission to the Moon
The Soyuz rocket took off successfully on August 11 to carry this probe weighing nearly 800 kilograms to the Moon. Luna-25 had been successfully placed in lunar orbit on Wednesday.
“For the first time in history, the moon landing will be carried out on the lunar south pole. Until now, everyone landed in the equatorial zone,” said a senior Roscosmos official.
The probe, which was to remain on the Moon for a year, was to take samples and analyze the soil, as well as “to conduct long-term scientific research”, said the space agency.
>> Review the 7:30 p.m. topic following the launch:
Russia has launched Luna 25, its first lunar probe in 47 years / 7:30 p.m. / 2 min. / August 11, 2023
>> Read also: Russia launches its first probe to the Moon in almost 50 years
boi with the agencies
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