Russia's Luna 25 Mission: A Disastrous Crash on the Moon

The head of the Russian space agency, Yury Borisov, stated that the crash of Luna 25, Russia's first moon mission in decades, was likely due to engine failure. The engines did not shut down normally, causing the spacecraft to crash. The loss of contact with Luna 25 occurred while it was attempting to adjust its orbit using onboard thrusters. The crash-landing occurred in the moon's south pole region, an area of interest for lunar exploration due to its unexplored nature and potential water ice resources. Russia plans to expedite future Luna missions and a special commission will investigate the cause of the crash.