Russia’s space agency says Luna-25 spacecraft has ‘ceased to exist’ after crashing into Moon
Luna-25, Russia’s uncrewed spacecraft, has “ceased to exist” after crashing into the Moon’s surface, reports Roscosmos, Russia’s state space corporation.
Roscosmos stated that contact with the spacecraft was lost around 2:57 p.m. Moscow time on August 19. This occurred after the spacecraft was given the command “to enter pre-landing orbit.” The day before, Roscosmos reported that “an abnormal situation” occurred when Luna-25 transitioned to pre-landing orbit.
On August 19 and 20, measures taken to search for the craft and get into contact with it were unsuccessful. According to a preliminary analysis, the craft entered an uncontrolled orbit and ceased to exist after colliding with the lunar surface due to deviation from the calculated parameters.
Roscosmos stated that a special inter-agency commission will investigate the causes for the incident.
