{"id":48733,"date":"2023-08-21T08:18:34","date_gmt":"2023-08-21T08:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ce37d842-5e97-4c00-8523-501d860eb28b"},"modified":"2023-08-24T18:33:48","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T18:33:48","slug":"russias-luna-25-spacecraft-crashes-into-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/russias-luna-25-spacecraft-crashes-into-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia’s Luna 25 spacecraft crashes into the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russia’s Luna 25 spacecraft has crashed into the Moon, according to the country’s space agency Roscosmos. <\/p>

By Iain Todd\n <\/p>

Published: Monday, 21 August 2023 at 08:18 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Russia’s Luna 25 spacecraft crashes into the Moon<\/h1>
Russia’s Luna 25 spacecraft has crashed into the Moon, according to the country’s space agency Roscosmos.<\/p>
The uncrewed Luna 25<\/a> space probe was set to become the first ever to land at the Moon’s south pole.<\/p>
But on Sunday 20 August, Roscosmos announced that Luna 25, which successfully entered orbit around the Moon on 16 August, had spun out of control.<\/p>\n
Artist’s impression of Luna 25 on the surface of the Moon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
The spacecraft had been due to land on the lunar South Pole today, Monday 21 August.<\/p>
This region of the Moon is of particular importance because it is believed there could be frozen ice water and other minerals there.<\/p>
But Roscosmos says it lost contact with Luna 25 on Saturday 19 August and said the mission had experienced an “abnormal situation”.<\/p>
\u201cThe apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon,\u201d a statement said.<\/p>
Roscosmos said it wanted to show Russia \u201cis a state capable of delivering a payload to the Moon,\u201d and \u201censure Russia\u2019s guaranteed access to the Moon\u2019s surface.\u201d<\/p>\n
$\"NASA's$
NASA’s LRO found evidence of water around the Moon’s southern pole. Credit: NASA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Why aim for the Moon’s south pole?<\/strong><\/h2> Russia’s Luna 25 mission was a continuation of its famous Luna programme<\/a> of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.<\/p>
It was due to make history to become the first to touch down at the Moon’s south pole.<\/p>
Studies have shown that the lunar south pole contains frozen water ice<\/a> and other potentially useful minerals.<\/p>
This is of interest to space agencies keen to make permanent human settlements on and around the Moon, such as NASA’s Artemis<\/a> mission and Lunar Gateway<\/a>.<\/p>
The presence of water on the Moon – albeit frozen – could provide opportunities for extended human missions on the lunar surface.<\/p>
It could be used as a source of oxygen for astronauts to breathe, or converted into rocket fuel for missions to Mars.<\/p>\n
$\"NASA's$
NASA’s Artemis programme will see humans return to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo missions. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Will India be the first to land at the lunar south pole?<\/strong><\/h2>
Meanwhile, the Indian Space Research Organisation is pressing ahead with its mission to be the first to land on the lunar south pole.<\/p>
India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully launched on 14 July 2023<\/a>, and is expected to make a soft landing at the Moon’s South Pole in the next few days.<\/p>
The ISRO had attempted a landing on the Moon with its Chandrayaan-2 mission in 2019, but a software error caused the lander to crash on 6 September 2019.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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