Luna-25 Crash — 'Lost Contact With Spacecraft, Maneuver Gone Wrong': Experts On Russia's Failed Lunar Mission

Russia's Luna-25 lunar mission lost contact and crashed into the moon. Experts point to maneuver failure. First Russian moon mission since 1976. Read on to know more.

Russia had not attempted a moon mission since Luna-24 in 1976, during the reign of Communist leader Leonid Brezhnev. ( Image Source :X/@rishabhbabbar04 )

As ISRO anticipates a successful landing for Chandrayaan-3, Russia's Luna-25 faced a tragic outcome on Sunday crashing into the moon due to an uncontrolled orbit. After its August 11 launch, Luna-25 aimed to touch down on August 21, narrowly preceding India's Vikram module. Expert insights into the Russian spacecraft's untimely crash reveal potential causes. Notably, it was Russia's first lunar mission since 1976 during the leadership of Communist leader Leonid Brezhnev.

Annapurni Subramaniam, Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, shed light on the situation, stating, "It appears that they lost contact with the spacecraft. Also, it seems that one of the maneuvers they did to bring down the altitude of the spacecraft has also gone wrong," she was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

After a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and crashed into the moon. 

"It's unfortunate to hear that news from the Russian space agency. We don't know the specifics, but it appears that thrusters were used to slow it down; most likely, the angle and number of thrusters used were incorrect. It appears to have crash landed on the moon. So, we're waiting for more information on this specific tragedy," Subramaniam added further. 

VIDEO | "It appears that they lost contact with the spacecraft. Also, it seems that one of the maneuvers they did to bring down the altitude of the spacecraft has also gone wrong," says Annapurni Subramaniam, director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics after Russia's Luna-25… pic.twitter.com/BN5rRAMjLC

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 20, 2023

Roskosmos, Russia's state space corporation, said it lost contact with the craft on Saturday at 11:57 GMT due to a problem as the craft was shunted into pre-landing orbit. Monday was supposed to be a soft landing.

"The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon," Roskosmos explained in a statement.

It stated that a special inter-departmental commission had been formed to investigate the reasons for the loss of the Luna-25 craft, whose mission had raised hopes in Moscow that Russia was resuming its role as a major player in the moon race.

Another space expert, P K Ghosh said:  "The crash of Russia's Luna-25 is a tragic event. After about 47 years, Russia launched Luna-25. This demonstrates the importance of never taking anything for granted in space exploration...Chandrayaan-3 is only 25 kilometres from the moon's closest elliptical orbit."

#WATCH | On the Chandrayaan 3 mission and Russia Luna-25 crash, Space strategist P K Ghosh says, "I think Chandrayaan 3 will make a good landing on August 23. The crashing of Russia's Luna-25 is an unfortunate event. After about 47 years Russia had taken off Luna-25. This shows… pic.twitter.com/ILj24D1xv3

— ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2023

"I must tell you that one of the most difficult tasks is to move the spacecraft from a horizontal to a vertical position, which is extremely difficult. All of these factors must be considered. I believe it (Chandrayaan-3) will land safely on August 23," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

"The Luna-25 was delayed due to the Ukraine conflict, and then the European space agency pulled out. Finally, after 47 years, they took out Luna 25. Russia, formerly the USSR, was a pioneer in space. They originally stated that they would land on August 23, but I believe they have accelerated that date. One of the maneuvers went wrong for some reason. It is extremely unfortunate," he added. 

After a news report about fires in Tenerife and a 4-minute report about a professional holiday for Russian pilots and crews, Russian state television ranked the loss of the Luna-25 eighth in its lineup at noon and gave it only 26 seconds of coverage, according to The Guardian. 

Anatoly Zak, the creator and publisher of the website RussianSpaceWeb, which tracks Russian space programmes said that the flight control system as a “vulnerable area, which had to go through many fixes”, as quoted by The Guardian.

He also pointed out that Russia opted for a much more ambitious moon landing before undertaking a simpler orbital mission as opposed to the usual practice for the Soviet Union, the US, China, and India.

After 47 years, the first Soviet lunar exploration spacecraft, Luna 25, was launched. Luna 24, which launched into space on August 14, 1976, was the last Soviet lunar mission. Since Russia became an independent country following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, Luna 25 is the country's first lunar exploration mission. 

READ | Russia's 1st Moon Mission In 47 Years Fails As Luna-25 Spacecraft Crashes

Russia Exits Lunar Race As Chandrayaan-3 Nears Landing

Russia has withdrawn from the lunar race alongside India following the unfortunate crash of its robotic lander on the lunar surface. Meanwhile, India's Chandrayaan-3 mission advances towards a lunar soft landing, propelled by the success of a critical orbit reduction maneuver performed by ISRO scientists.

On Sunday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed the achievement of a successful orbit reduction for the Lander Module (LM) of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. This maneuver aims to bring the LM closer to the moon's surface for its anticipated soft landing, scheduled for 6:04 PM on Wednesday, August 23.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission:

🇮🇳Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon 🌖on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 Hrs. IST.

Thanks for the wishes and positivity!

Let’s continue experiencing the journey together
as the action unfolds LIVE at:
ISRO Website https://t.co/osrHMk7MZL
YouTube… pic.twitter.com/zyu1sdVpoE

— ISRO (@isro) August 20, 2023

In ISRO's view, the imminent accomplishment of a successful soft landing through the Chandrayaan-3 mission is poised to mark a significant milestone in India's pursuit of space exploration. The event reflects the commendable progress of Indian Science, Engineering, Technology, and Industry in the field of space exploration, the space agency said in a statement. 

The culmination of this momentous endeavour will be a live broadcast event on August 23, commencing at 5:27 PM IST. The live coverage will be accessible across multiple platforms, including the ISRO Website, YouTube channel, the agency's Facebook page, and the DD National TV channel.

Only three countries — the erstwhile Soviet Union, the US, and China have achieved successful moon landings, but not on the moon's south pole. India and Russia were racing to create history by becoming the first countries to do so.