Luna 25 craft collision with Moon – A Disappointment Challenge – 23

Luna 25

Luna 25, designated by Russian, was a lunar landing mission conducted by Roscosmos in August 2023. The mission’s objective was to achieve a landing close to the lunar south pole, specifically within the Boguslawsky crater.

On the 10th of August 2023 at 23:10 UTC, the Luna 25 mission was launched using a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome located in Russia’s far eastern Amur Region. Unfortunately, on the 19th of August 2023 at 11:57 UTC, the lander’s trajectory was inaccurately adjusted, leading to a collision with the Moon instead of a successful landing as intended.

Initially intended to accompany Luna 25, the Swedish payload LINA-XSAN was scheduled for the mission. However, due to launch date setbacks, Sweden decided to cancel this arrangement. As an alternative, LINA-XSAN was carried on China’s Chang’e 4 mission in 2019.

ESA’s PILOT-D navigation demonstration camera was initially intended to be a part of the Luna 25 mission. However, a change in plans occurred, and the camera will now be carried by a commercial service provider instead.

This adjustment was influenced by uncertainties stemming from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions on Russia, which cast doubt on sustained international collaboration.

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The purpose of the demonstration camera was to gather data to aid the landing of future missions, and it was not an integral component of the probe’s primary operating system.

Scientific suite instruments with Luna 25

The lander was equipped with a payload weighing 30 kg (66 lb), consisting of eight Russian scientific instruments:

1. ADRON-LR: Designed for active neutron and gamma-ray analysis of lunar regolith.
2. ARIES-L: Intended for measuring plasma within the lunar exosphere.
3. LASMA-LR: A laser mass spectrometer for detailed analysis.
4. LIS-TV-RPM: Utilized for infrared spectrometry of minerals and imaging purposes.
5. PmL: Meant for measuring dust and micro-meteorites on the lunar surface.
6. THERMO-L: Designed to measure the thermal properties of the lunar regolith.
7. STS-L: Used for panoramic and local imaging.
8. Laser Retroreflector: Intended for conducting experiments related to Moon libration and ranging.

These instruments were all part of the lander’s scientific suite, aimed at gathering valuable data and insights from the lunar surface.

Launching of Luna 25

On the 10th of August 2023, the launch of Luna 25 occurred from the Vostochny Cosmodrome using a Soyuz-2 rocket equipped with a Fregat upper stage. Subsequently, on the 16th of August, the probe successfully entered lunar orbit, with a planned landing date set for the 21st of August.

Failure of Luna 25

Tragically, on the 19th of August 2023, Roscosmos reported an “abnormal situation” involving the lander. This announcement followed an unsuccessful attempt to execute a short engine burn to transition the lander into a pre-landing orbit. Preliminary analysis suggested that an extended engine firing led to the probe’s collision with the lunar surface. Efforts made on the 19th and 20th of August to re-establish communication and locate the spacecraft yielded no success.

Initial calculations revealed that Luna-25 had veered into an incorrect orbit before ultimately crashing. In response to this incident, a commission was convened to investigate the causes behind the crash.

Significant setback to Moscow’s ambitious

The Russian spacecraft Luna-25 tragically crashed on the Moon before its intended landing, marking a significant setback to Moscow’s ambitious lunar exploration goals, including potential human missions to this challenging celestial body.

The spacecraft, originally intended for a comprehensive year-long study of the Moon’s uncharted terrain, encountered critical issues during a pre-landing maneuver above the lunar surface. These malfunctions led to the failure of the spacecraft even before it could execute its landing, casting a shadow over Russia’s endeavors to explore and understand the lunar environment.

Announcement of mission’s failure of Luna 25

Announcing the mission’s failure, Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, released a statement stating, “At approximately 14:57 Moscow time, communication with the Luna-25 spacecraft was lost. Despite the efforts made on August 19 and 20 to locate the spacecraft and re-establish communication, no positive outcomes were achieved.

Owing to a significant discrepancy between the actual and calculated parameters of the maneuver, the spacecraft deviated from its intended orbit and, tragically, collided with the lunar surface, resulting in its disintegration.” This outcome underscores the unfortunate conclusion of the Luna-25 mission.