The head of Russia's space agency said Monday that the Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after its engines failed to shut down correctly, and he blamed the country's decades-long pause in lunar exploration for the mishap.
The pilotless Luna-25 had been scheduled to land Monday while aiming to become the first spacecraft to touch down on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe important reserves of frozen water and precious elements may exist.
Roscosmos Director General Yury Borisov said the spacecraft's engines were turned on over the weekend to put Luna-25 into a “pre-landing orbit" but did not shut down properly, plunging the lander onto the moon.
“Instead of the planned 84 seconds, it worked for 127 seconds. This was the main reason for the emergency,” Borisov told Russian state news channel Russia 24.
Roscosmos had contact with the spacecraft until 2:57 p.m. local time Saturday, when communication was lost and “the device passed into an open lunar orbit and crashed into the surface of the moon,” he said.
The lunar mission was Russia’s first since 1976, when it was part of the Soviet Union. Only three countries have managed successful moon landings: the Soviet Union, the United States and China.
“The negative experience of interrupting the lunar program for almost 50 years is the main reason for the failures,” Borisov said, adding “it would be the worst decision ever” for Russia to end the program now.
The Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft launched on July 14 to be the first to reach the south pole. Both were expected to reach the moon between Aug. 21 and Aug. 23.
A previous Indian attempt to land at the moon's south pole in 2019 ended when the spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface.
Luna-25 launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Aug. 10. The spaceport is a pet project of Russian President Vladimir Putin and key to his efforts to make Russia a space superpower.
Before the launch, Roscosmos said it wanted to show Russia “is a state capable of delivering a payload to the moon,” and “ensure Russia’s guaranteed access to the moon’s surface.”
Following the crash, the Russian space agency said the moon mission was about ensuring long-term “defense capability” as well as “technological sovereignty.”
“The race to develop the moon's natural resources has begun,” Borisov said Monday. “In the future, the moon will become an ideal platform for the exploration of deep space.”
Sanctions imposed on Russia since it launched a war in Ukraine nearly 18 months ago have affected its space program, making it more difficult to access Western technology.
The Luna-25 was initially meant to carry a small moon rover, but the idea was abandoned to reduce the weight of the craft for improved reliability, analysts said.
The lunar south pole is of particular interest to scientists, who believe the permanently shadowed polar craters may contain frozen water in the rocks that future explorers could transform into air and rocket fuel.
William Li and Danielle Chang, co-founders of The Hao Life, join Cheddar Innovates to discuss how they're shaking up the $71 billion supplement industry by putting a modern spin on traditional natural Chinese remedies.
The Coca-Cola Company is teaming up with science education personality Bill Nye as part of its World Without Waste Initiative to describe the bottle-to-bottle plastic recycling process through a vividly animated, stop-motion short film. Christine Yeager, director of sustainability at The Coca-Cola Company, North America, joined Cheddar News to talk about their initiative and the partnership. "We really wanted to partner with someone who can help us make recycling relatable, but also has a very um respected voice in the climate change space," she said.
Catching you up on what you need to know on Apr 14, 2022, with the U.S. sending $800M to Ukraine, updates on the subway shooting in Brooklyn, Gov. Abbott putting a pause on his southern border truck inspections, migrants being bused from Texas to Washington, DC, the travel mask mandate extending until May 3, and more.
Energy costs continue to rise, our electrical grid is outdated, and the focus on renewable energy is more important than ever. One company says it has an answer: pods that store solar energy for long-term, 24-hour usage that can also function as mini power grids and charge electric vehicles. Azelio's TES.PODs store solar energy during the day, and hold it for use around the clock, providing a solution for charging electric vehicles, powering rural areas, and much more. Jonas Wallmander, CEO of Azelio, joins Closing Bell to discuss the company's solar energy storage technology, how it can be used to power communities and build out electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and more.
Catching you up with what you need to know on Apr 12, 2022, with Russia concentrating forces in eastern Ukraine, rising inflation, severe weather from Minnesota to the Gulf Coast, Philadelphia brings back its indoor mask mandate, PG&E pays $55 million for wildfire settlement, and more
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 11, 2022, with updates on the Russia-Ukraine War, France’s presidential election, the record deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest, retail giant Amazon's objection to the Staten Island union vote, the worsening baby formula shortage, a lawsuit against Rutgers Law School, and a stomach illness possibly linked to Lucky Charms cereal.
SpaceX launched its first all commercial-crew mission to the International Space Station on Friday. Cheddar News speaks with Jim Cantrell, CEO and President of Phantom Space Corporation why this launch is a big leap for space tourism.
Nautilus Labs closed $34 million in funding from investors including the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund. The company plans to use its funding to improve shipping industry efficiency with its software. Nautilus CEO Matt Heider joined Cheddar News to talk about how it tackles the carbon emissions in the global supply chain. "We've seen on 10-day voyages saving $60,000 worth of fuel just by managing speed with greater confidence around the future. The environmental impact of that is also huge," he said. "Saving that amount of fuel is a kind of taking over 1000 cars off the road this year."
