this post was submitted on 20 Aug 2023
727 points (98.5% liked)

Space

8670 readers
401 users here now

Share & discuss informative content on: Astrophysics, Cosmology, Space Exploration, Planetary Science and Astrobiology.


Rules

  1. Be respectful and inclusive.
  2. No harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
  3. Engage in constructive discussions.
  4. Share relevant content.
  5. Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
  6. Use appropriate language and tone.
  7. Report violations.
  8. Foster a continuous learning environment.

Picture of the Day

The Busy Center of the Lagoon Nebula


Related Communities

๐Ÿ”ญ Science

๐Ÿš€ Engineering

๐ŸŒŒ Art and Photography


Other Cool Links

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the Moon after spinning into an uncontrolled orbit, officials say.

The unmanned craft was due to make a soft landing on the Moon's south pole, but failed after encountering issues as it moved into its pre-landing orbit.

It was Russia's first Moon mission in almost 50 years.

The spacecraft was scheduled to land on Monday to explore a part of the Moon which scientists think could hold frozen water and precious elements.

Roskosmos, Russia's state space corporation, said it lost contact with the Luna-25 shortly after running into difficulties.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[โ€“] SON_OF_SUNS@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Is the russia gov reviving the 'Luna' mission name and mission type after decades coincidence when russia is heavily sanctioned by the west and in need of showing it is a industrial and scientific powerhouse? At a time it is according to its own gov 'at war with NATO', just like during the cold war?

Doing exploration & science when you go is a given, but it is disingenuous saying that Russia started this mission out of pure scientific interest. The same can of course be said of US moon or Mars programs.

The difference however is this one failed its obvious primary objective: showing that Russia = strong, and that at a time that Russia is desperate for a succes, not another example that it is a shithole.

[โ€“] kattenluik@feddit.nl 8 points 1 year ago

There's a lot of reasons, including passing on knowledge from the people who did Luna 24.

I'm also pretty sure Luna 25 has been worked on since at least 2017, not to mention that Luna just means moon.