It has been almost 50 years since Russia - then the Soviet Union - landed safely on the moon. The crash of Luna 25 on the lunar surface means that won't change any time soon
21 August 2023
A selfie taken by the Luna 25 probe on 15 August, on the way to the moon Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS
Russia’s first moon mission in nearly half a century has ended in disaster, as a lander due to softly touch down at the lunar south pole instead slammed into the surface at speed.
The Luna 25 mission was named in continuation of the Soviet Union’s missions of the 1970s, which ended with Luna 24 bringing samples of moon rock back to Earth in 1976. The new mission launched on 11 August atop a…
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