The automatic interplanetary station “Luna-25” crashed into the surface of a natural satellite of the Earth. In this respect reported Press service of Roskosmos.
“According to the results of a preliminary analysis, due to the deviation of the actual parameters of the impact from the calculated ones, the device went into an undesigned trajectory and ceased to exist as a result of collision with its surface. Moon,” says in the message of the government agency.
Communication with the station was cut off the previous day, on August 19, when an impulse was issued to create a pre-landing elliptical orbit.
“Around 14:57 Moscow time, communication with the Luna-25 was lost. The measures taken on August 19 and 20 to search for the device and contact it did not yield any results ”- reported at Roscosmos.
The state company added that a special interdepartmental commission will be engaged to clarify the reasons for the loss of the Luna-25.
“It turned out that the engine did not stop,
Ivan Moiseev, head of the Space Policy Institute, suggested it in a conversation with socialbites.ca. – It was supposed to lower the orbiter, transfer it to the landing. And if it is not closed in time, the orbit will decrease and decrease until it intersects the surface of the Moon. That’s what happened. Why did not close, they do not report, there may be various reasons. Here we really need the result of the commission promised by Roscosmos.”
An attempt to return to the moon race after 47 years
The first lunar mission in the modern history of Russia started August 11 (previous station – Soviet “Luna-24” – launched in 1976). Luna-25 was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome (Amur Region) on a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with a Fregat upper stage.
“Luna-25” was to analyze the soil of the Earth’s natural satellite and conduct long-term scientific research. Including studying the upper surface layer in the South Pole region, the effect of the solar wind on the space body, as well as the lunar exosphere (outer part of the upper atmosphere).
Station appeared Orbited by the moon, taken from it first shotsone of the devices still Effect of a micrometeorite on the surface of Luna-25.
How expectedThe station’s moon landing will take place on August 21.
It is planned to be ready to land astronauts on the moon by 2030.
The Luna-25 mission is part of Russia’s long-term program to explore and exploit Earth’s natural satellite. The launch of the next device – Luna-26 – is scheduled for 2027, it will be engaged in remote research of the satellite.
“After Luna-25, Luna-26 will go, launch is scheduled for 2027” – aforementioned Alexander Bloshenko, Roskosmos general manager for advanced programs and science, in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
The flight of Luna-27 is scheduled for August 2025. The spacecraft is expected to land on the Moon, pierce up to two meters of soil, study frozen samples, magnetic anomalies and seismic activity in situ, and test the safe landing technology of heavy vehicles.
“You should understand that the following missions have a probability of success (after the Luna-25 station crash). “socialbites.ca”) decreases as we do not receive data and landing experience. So, this is riskier (next – “socialbites.ca”) is the program,” says Moiseev of the Space Policy Institute.
Luna 28 is expected to launch in 2026-2027.
“We will be technologically ready to land Russian cosmonauts on the Moon by 2030” – aforementioned Yuri Borisov, head of Roscosmos, at the plenary meeting of the Days of Space Science at IKI RAS in April 2022.
Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Marov said: red blood cellserious consequences must be drawn from this event. “I think we haven’t given up on the moon race. If the leadership of Roscosmos makes a reasonable decision from my point of view, then the task must be repeated in the near future, we have everything for this, ”said the statement. Central Clinical Hospital (CCH), which learned that the Luna-25 device had crashed.
“It’s a pity we weren’t able to download the device. For me, that was perhaps my last hope to see our lunar program revived,” said Marov. “MK”.