Russian spacecraft crashes into the moon

August 22, 2023

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Russia’s first moon mission in 47 years ended in failure as its Luna-25 spacecraft lost control and crashed into the moon.

Roskosmos, the Russian state space corporation, reported that contact was lost shortly after the craft encountered a problem while being directed into a pre-landing orbit on Saturday.

The spacecraft’s trajectory became unpredictable, leading to a collision with the moon’s surface. This failure highlights the decline of Russia’s space prowess since its achievements during the Cold War era, including launching the first satellite, Sputnik 1, in 1957, and sending Yuri Gagarin into space in 1961.

Luna-25 was intended to softly land on the moon’s south pole on August 21. Russia’s space program faces competition from other nations like India, China, and the United States in the race for lunar exploration.