Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the Moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, the country’s Roscosmos space agency said on August 20.
The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the Moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. It had been expected to land on August 21.
According to Roskosmos , ” While carrying out the maneuver , an unforeseen circumstance arose within the automated station , preventing the execution of the intended maneuver with the designated parameters… Contact with Luna-25 was served at 11:57 GMT on Saturday, ” as outlined in a concise statement.
Luna -25 has originally been anticipated to have a presence on the moon for a span of one year , during which it would undertake tasks such as gathering soil samples and seeking traces of water. The lander was also equipped with cameras that captured images of the lunar terrain.
In response to the unfortunate crash , the space agency has announced its attention to initiate an enquiry into the factors that led to the mishap. However, specific details regarding any technical issues that may have contributed to the crash have not been disclosed.
