Russian space agency loses contact with Luna-25 probe, suspected of crashing into the Moon

On August 20, the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said that the Luna-25 lunar probe spacecraft collided with the planet's surface after encountering a problem while preparing to land.

Cơ quan vũ trụ Nga mất liên lạc với tàu thăm dò Luna-25, nghi đâm thẳng xuống Mặt trăng

The Russian space agency launched the Luna-25 lunar probe into space on August 11, 2023. (Source: Xinhua)

According to Russia's TASS news agency, Roscosmos confirmed that contact with Luna-25 was lost at 2:57 p.m. on August 19, Russia time (6:57 p.m. Vietnam time). According to preliminary analysis results, Luna-25 lost contact after colliding with the surface of the Moon.

Roscosmos took measures on August 19 and 20 to determine the location and restore communication with the spacecraft but failed. Roscosmos added that due to the deviation of the actual impulse parameters from the calculated ones, the Luna-25 spacecraft shifted to a deviated orbit and ceased to exist due to a collision with the surface of the Moon. The agency will investigate the causes of the collision.

Earlier, in the early morning of August 11, Russia launched the Luna-25 lunar probe into space. This move marked the restart of Russia's lunar exploration program after nearly 50 years.

The main tasks of Luna-25 are to develop soft landing technology, study the internal structure of the satellite, conduct exploration of natural resources, including water, and investigate the effects of cosmic rays and electromagnetic radiation on the surface of the Moon.

Russia's previous probe, Luna-24, was launched in 1976. This event made history when samples taken from the Moon at that time proved the presence of water on Earth 's only natural satellite. After Luna-25, Russia plans to launch Luna-26 and Luna-27 in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

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