The Luna-25 probe, Russia’s first Moon mission in 47 years, crashed on the Moon following a mishap during pre-landing maneuvers, according to the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Roscosmos reported that communication with Luna-25 was lost around 2:57 p.m. (1157 GMT) on Saturday.
According to preliminary findings, the lander “has ceased to exist following a collision with the Moon’s surface”, Roscosmos said.
“Measures taken on August 19 and 20 to locate the craft and make contact with it were unsuccessful.”
The space agency said that an investigation into the crash’s reasons will be conducted, but gave no indication of what technical issues could have happened.
Moscow planned to build on the heritage of the Soviet-era Luna program with Luna-25, signaling a return to independent lunar exploration in the face of rising isolation from the West.
