A Soyuz-2.1b rocket carrying the Luna-25 spacecraft blasts off from the launch pad at the Vostochny cosmodrome, August 11, 2023. /CFP
A Soyuz-2.1b rocket carrying the Luna-25 spacecraft blasts off from the launch pad at the Vostochny cosmodrome, August 11, 2023. /CFP
Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it spun into uncontrolled orbit, Russia's space corporation Roscosmos said on Sunday.
The space agency said it lost contact with the craft at 11:57 GMT on Saturday after a problem occurred as the craft was shunted into pre-landing orbit. A soft landing had been planned for Monday.
"The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon," Roskosmos said in a statement.
It said a special inter-departmental commission had been formed to investigate the reasons behind the loss of the Luna-25 craft.
Read more: Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch in pre-landing operation
Source(s): Reuters