The Luna-25 probe, Russia’s first Moon mission in nearly 50 years, crashed on the Moon’s surface as a result of an unidentified mishap during pre-landing maneuvers, the Russian space agency Roscosmos announced on Sunday.
The accident occurs roughly a year and a half after Moscow launched an offensive in Ukraine that has left it isolated and subjected it to harsh sanctions that have hurt its space industry.
The mission’s failure coincides with the entry of multiple firms and countries into the Moon race and has drawn attention to the problems facing the Russian space industry, which range from corruption to a lack of creativity and collaborations.
Roscosmos reported that communication with Luna-25 was lost around 2:57 PM (1157 PM GMT) on Saturday.
The lander “has ceased to exist following a collision with the Moon’s surface,” according to preliminary assessments.
“Measures taken on August 19 and 20 to locate the craft and make contact with it were unsuccessful,” the space agency added.
Without mentioning any potential technical issues, it stated a ministerial investigation into the crash’s causes will be launched.
In response to budgetary difficulties, corruption scandals within the program, and rising isolation from the West, Moscow had intended to build on the legacy of its Soviet-era Luna program with Luna-25, signaling a return to independent Moon exploration.
The crash will have a significant impact on future missions for Roscosmos, with the next one not scheduled until 2028 or “even later,” according to Valery Yegorov, a former researcher with Russia’s space program who is currently living in exile.
He proposed that the failure of the investigation was related to technology issues, presumably brought on by Western sanctions on Moscow.
Yegorov claimed that sanctions imposed on Russia in retaliation for annexing Crimea were the reason why the launch of Luna-25 had to be delayed numerous times over the previous five years.
