Russia says Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into moon

Russia's space corporation Roskosmos said on Sunday that its Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after it spun into uncontrolled orbit.

The mission was the first stage of Russia's new lunar program and was Moscow's first mission to the moon since 1976.

What we know so far

The agency on Saturday said there had been an "abnormal situation" during an operation to bring the craft into a landing pre-orbit. Preliminary findings, it said on Sunday, showed the lander "has ceased to exist following a collision with the Moon's surface."

"During the operation, an unplanned situation arose on board the automatic station, which did not allow the maneuver to be carried out under the given parameters."

Specialists are investigating the incident to determine the cause, Roskosmos said.

The probe had been due to touch down near the lunar South Pole on Monday. Among its tasks was a search for water, with Russia aiming to establish a base on the Moon by 2040.

The rocket took off last week from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, in Russia's Far East region.

Roscosmos had originally cooperated with the European Space Agency (ESA) on the lunar program. However, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, ESA ended its work with Moscow.

Sanctions imposed on Russia after it invaded Ukraine make it harder for the country to access Western technology, impacting its space program.