Russia’s Luna-25 Lunar Lander Crashes into Moon Following Orbital Complications

Russia’s lunar exploration suffered a setback as the Luna-25 spacecraft, the nation’s first lunar lander in half a century, crashed onto the moon. The space agency, Roskosmos, confirmed the mishap, attributing it to the craft entering an uncontrollable orbit.

Luna-25 was unable to achieve its planned pre-landing lunar orbit on the expected date. Roscosmos disclosed that an emergency situation led to the unsuccessful maneuver.

The incident occurred following the spacecraft’s launch the previous week, as Russia joined the global race involving NASA and other agencies. The intended destination for Luna-25 was the moon’s southern pole, with an initial landing target of August 21.