Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into the moon, ending its bid to reach the lunar south pole

The Soyuz-2.1b rocket with the moon lander Luna-25 automatic station takes off from a launch pad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. Photo / Roscosmos via AP

Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, the country’s Roscosmos space agency said.

The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements.

However, Roscosmos said it lost contact with the Luna-25 after the spacecraft ran into difficulties and reported an “abnormal situation“.

“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon,” read a statement from the agency.

The Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft launched on July 14 to be the first to reach the south pole. Both were expected to reach the moon between August 21 and 23.

The visuals of the moon from Chandrayaan - 3 are simply Stunning!

Can't keep Calm, Save the date! Landing on South Pole of the Moon just 3 days away - 23rd Aug 1745pm Indian time.
Also Praying for recovery of Russia's Luna 25! #Chandrayaan_3 #Luna25 pic.twitter.com/GmCRE51Lqd

— Vishal Verma (@VishalVerma_9) August 20, 2023

The lunar mission was Russia’s first since 1976 when it was part of the Soviet Union. Only three governments have managed successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the United States and China.

The lunar south pole is of particular interest to scientists, who believe the permanently shadowed polar craters may contain frozen water in the rocks that future explorers could transform into air and rocket fuel.

The moon lander Luna-25 at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's far east. Photo / Roscosmos via AP

A previous Indian attempt to land at the south pole in 2019 ended when the spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface.

Roscosmos said it wanted to show Russia “is a state capable of delivering a payload to the moon”, and “ensure Russia’s guaranteed access to the moon’s surface”.

Sanctions imposed on Russia since it began its actions in Ukraine have affected its space programme, making it more difficult to access Western technology.

An image of the Zeeman crater on the far side of the moon from Earth, taken by the Luna-25 spacecraft on August 17, prior to crashing. Photo / Roscosmos

The Luna-25 was initially meant to carry a small moon rover but that idea was abandoned to reduce the weight of the craft for improved reliability, analysts said.

The craft launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s far east on August 10. The spaceport is a pet project of Russian President Vladimir Putin and is key to his efforts to make Russia a space superpower.