Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into the moon, ending its bid to reach the lunar south pole
Russia's Roscosmos space agency says the Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, bringing a premature end to the country's first lunar mission since 1976
By AP News
Published - Aug 20, 2023, 05:00 PM ET
Last Updated - Aug 20, 2023, 05:00 PM EDT
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, the country's Roscosmos space agency said Sunday.
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 Monday.
However, Roscosmos said it lost contact with the Luna-25 on Saturday after the spacecraft ran into difficulties and reported an “abnormal situation ”.
“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon,” read a statement from the agency.
