In a startling turn of events, Russia’s much-anticipated Luna-25 probe met a tragic end as it collided with the lunar surface, according to the latest statement from Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos. This marks Russia’s catastrophic return to Moon exploration after a long hiatus of nearly half a century.

Roscosmos disclosed that Luna-25 spiraled into an uncontrolled orbit and eventually crashed, citing an “abnormal situation” during a pivotal manoeuvre. “During the operation, an emergency situation occurred on board the automatic station,” the agency shockingly revealed on Telegram. As the space community reels from the calamity, Roscosmos scientists have urgently embarked on investigating the root cause of this disastrous failure.

What was intended as a groundbreaking scientific mission, with the lunar probe set to remain active for a year, equipped with eight cutting-edge science instruments, quickly turned into a space nightmare. It’s worth highlighting the perilous nature of lunar landings; achieving a soft landing was always going to be a high-stakes challenge.

The space drama intensified when, just a day prior, Roscosmos alarmed the world by flagging an “emergency” situation during a critical thrust operation. Alarmingly, the probe’s communication was severed at 2:57 pm (1157 GMT) the same day. Luna-25 had previously been launched with grand fanfare on August 10 from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, making its way to the lunar orbit in just six days.

Russian netizens are now abuzz, flooding social media platforms with rampant speculations and conspiracy theories. Interestingly, this doomed lunar mission was once a joint endeavor with the European Space Agency (ESA). But as geopolitical tensions peaked with Putin’s move on Ukraine, ESA made a swift exit from the collaboration, leaving Moscow solo.

The interstellar saga takes another intriguing twist as the spotlight now shifts to India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission. With its Vikram lander slated to land close to Luna-25’s intended site this Wednesday August 23, the world waits with bated breath. Will it triumph where Luna faltered? Only time will tell.

  Chandrayaan-3, European Space Agency, India, Luna-25, Moon, Moscow, Roscosmos, Russia, Vostochny Cosmodrome