NASA He said On Friday I took pictures of the possible crash site of Russia’s first post-Soviet lunar lander.
Luna-25 probe Criticize to the lunar surface on August 19 during pre-landing maneuvers, according to Russia’s space agency Roscosmos.
NASA said its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) imaged the crater at the moon’s south pole where Roscosmos believes Luna 25 crashed.
Close-range images of the same spot dated June 27 and August 24 showed a distinctive crater forming on the moon’s surface.
“Because this new crater is close to the estimated impact point of Luna 25, the LRO team has concluded that it was likely from that mission, rather than a natural impact,” NASA said.
The Luna-25 mission was intended to signal Moscow’s return to independent lunar exploration in the face of financial problems, corruption scandals, and increasing isolation from the West.
The last time it landed a probe on the moon was in 1976, before it turned away from lunar exploration in favor of missions to Venus and building the Mir space station.
The launch of the Luna 25 has been delayed several times in the past five years due to sanctions imposed over Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Days after the accident, India became First nation To successfully land a spacecraft on the south pole of the moon.
The Kremlin and Roscosmos have pledged to do so Complete Continuing the moon race despite the demise of Luna-25.
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