Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, launched Luna 25 spacecraft on August 11.
Luna 25 was intended to soft-land near the moon’s south pole, studying lunar soil and atmosphere.
On August 20, Roscosmos announced a glitch caused Luna 25 to crash on the moon's surface, marking mission failure.
Purpose of Luna 25 Mission:
Luna 25, a part of the Luna series, aimed to secure Russia's access to the moon's surface.
It demonstrated Russia's capability in the spaceflight sector and highlighted its role in the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
Not in a Race with Chandrayaan 3:
Luna 25 and Chandrayaan 3 launched in a similar timeframe, but not in a direct competition.
Mission parameters depended on various factors such as launch vehicle, spacecraft mass, trajectory, and pandemic-related delays.
Roscosmos had been working on Luna 25 since the early 2010s, while Chandrayaan 3's development began in 2019.
Luna 25's Technical Failure:
Roscosmos initiated an investigation to determine Luna 25's failure.
Speculation suggests a technical issue during the orbital modification maneuver led to its crash.
An engine meant to fire for 84 seconds fired for 127 seconds, causing a deviation from the intended orbit.
Challenges with Communication and Tracking:
Due to Russia's actions in Ukraine, it lost access to satellite tracking systems in various countries.
Roscosmos could communicate with Luna 25 only over Russia, limiting the time to address the issue.
Implications and Future Prospects:
Luna 25's failure indicates Russia's struggle to keep up with lunar exploration.
Western sanctions may further limit Russia's involvement in future missions and components imports.
The International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) includes plans for Luna missions 26 and 27, but the failure may impact their schedules.
Russia's role in the ILRS and lunar exploration might be constrained by its recent setbacks.
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