Russia’s Luna-25 mission, intended to mark the nation’s return to lunar exploration after nearly half a century, is facing a setback ahead of its Moon landing.
The Luna-25 spacecraft, the first moon mission attempted by Russia since 1976, appears to be in jeopardy as an “abnormal situation” occurred during an attempt to move the craft into a pre-landing orbit.
“Today, in accordance with the Luna-25 flight program, at 14:10 an impulse was issued to transfer the station to the pre-landing orbit,” Russia’s state space corporation, Roscosmos, announced on Telegram on August 19, 2023. “During the operation, an emergency situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the maneuver to be performed with the specified parameters.”
This development comes just days before the spacecraft was scheduled to execute a soft landing on the moon’s south pole.
Official sources have not yet confirmed the extent of the issue and whether any measures can be taken to salvage the mission.
The Luna-25 mission was initially scheduled for August 2022, later delayed to July 2023, and then held up again due to ground control infrastructure tests. The Russian lander is aiming to touch down at the south pole of the Moon.
The primary objectives are to demonstrate landing technology and collect rock samples, with a specific focus on detecting traces of frozen water. Russia plans to eventually establish a permanent presence on the Moon.
