Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, has reported an “emergency” onboard its Luna-25 spacecraft, which is on a mission to land on the moon. The spacecraft was attempting to enter the pre-landing orbit ahead of a planned touchdown on Monday when the emergency occurred. Roscosmos sent a command to prompt the lander to enter the orbit, but it was unable to perform the maneuver as required due to the emergency. Specialists are currently analyzing the situation.
This is Russia’s first attempt to land on the moon since 1976. The unmanned spacecraft, Luna-25, took off from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia’s eastern Amur region on August 11. It has already sent back images of the moon’s Zeeman crater and was expected to make its landing on Monday. Interestingly, this landing is just two days before an Indian mission is set to touch down. The competition to land on the south pole of the moon is part of a larger race to establish a lunar presence, involving countries like the United States and China.
Luna-25 is equipped with a robotic arm, measuring 1.6 meters long, which has a scoop to collect rocks, soil, and dust from the lunar surface. Its mission is to study the composition of the south pole, particularly the presence of frozen water, as other agencies like NASA have detected traces of it there. Access to this water is crucial for future human settlement as it can sustain life and be used as rocket fuel. This discovery could potentially position the moon as a springboard for further exploration in the solar system.
The cause of the emergency onboard Luna-25 has not been disclosed by Roscosmos, but it is undoubtedly a setback for Russia’s lunar mission. Specialists are working to resolve the issue, and further updates are expected in due course. The competition between Russia and India for lunar exploration continues to intensify, showcasing the renewed global interest in space exploration and the moon’s potential for scientific discovery and space travel.