Luna 25, Russia’s first lunar mission in 47 years, crashes into the moon

Source: The post is based on the article “Luna 25, Russia’s first lunar mission in 47 years, crashes into the moon”  published in The Hindu on 21st August 2023.

What is the News?

Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed on the Moon’s surface after it went into an uncontrolled orbit.

What is Luna 25?

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Why did Luna 25 crash?

Luna 25 was supposed to land in the moon’s south pole region, where scientists believe there might be valuable frozen water and precious elements.

But the spacecraft went into an uncontrolled orbit. As a result, the spacecraft moved unpredictably and ultimately collided with the moon’s surface.

What are the implications of the failure of Luna 25 for Russia?

Luna 25 was Russia’s first mission to the Moon since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union.

Only three governments have managed successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the U.S., and China.

The failure of Luna 25  underscores the decline of Russia’s space power status, from a time when it was the first country to launch an artificial satellite and launched the first human, both to earth orbit.