The final resting place of Russia’s failed lunar lander Luna 25 has apparently been found.
Russia’s first lunar probe in 47 years, Luna 25, crashed into the moon’s surface on August 19 while maneuvering for a touchdown attempt a few days later.
The crash blew away a crater that NASA’s sharp-eyed Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) likely discovered last week, officials said.
Related: Russian lunar lander Luna 25 crashes into the moon
LRO personnel went looking for Luna 25’s grave, using a probable impact site provided by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
The LRO team photographed the area with the spacecraft’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) on August 24 and compared the new photos to photos of the same area previously taken by LROC as recently as June 2022. . This research revealed a bright and fresh picture. A crater on the moon that has been gouged out over the past 14 months.
“Because this new crater is close to Luna 25’s estimated impact point, the LRO team concludes that it is likely caused by that mission rather than a natural impactor,” NASA officials said. today’s statement (August 31) Announcement of discovery.
The new crater is about 10 meters wide and located at about 58 degrees south latitude, on the steep inner edge of the moon’s Pontecoulin G crater, the statement added. The crash site is about 400 kilometers from Luna 25’s planned landing site at 69.5 degrees south latitude.
Luna 25 launched on August 10, beginning Russia’s first lunar mission since 1976, when Russia was still part of the Soviet Union. The new mission’s name was an attempt to recall proud days gone by. The 1976 sample return mission was successful and was designated Luna 24.
Luna 25 aimed to be the first spacecraft to make a soft landing near the moon’s south pole, an area thought to be rich in water ice that could support a human outpost.
However, due to its failure, the mission was handed over to India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, which was launched on July 14 and touched down on August 23. Chandrayaan-3 is still exploring the polar regions with the lander and small rover it was designed to operate. This adds up to 1 day for her on the lunar calendar, and about 14 days on Earth. At the end of that period, a lunar night is expected to render both robots inoperable.