Russia’s first moon mission in 47 years has failed, after its Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and smashed into moon.
The state space corporation Roscosmos, said on Sunday (August 20), that it had lost contact with the craft shortly after a problem occurred while it was being shunted into pre-landing orbit on Saturday.
Communication with Luna-25 was lost at 2:57 p.m. (11:57 GMT) on Saturday, Roscosmos said.
According to preliminary findings, the lander “has ceased to exist following a collision with the Moon’s surface.
“Measures taken on August 19 and 20 to locate the craft and make contact with it were unsuccessful,” states the space agency.
The 800kg Luna-25 probe was scheduled to make a soft landing on the Moon’s south pole today (Monday 21 August).