The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured an impact crater that could have been caused by Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft on August 19th. Photo: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University
Russia’s Luna-25 lander, which was on a mission to the Moon, experienced a malfunction and crashed onto the lunar surface on August 19th. Utilizing the estimated impact location provided by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, the LRO team, which operates NASA’s orbiter in lunar orbit, embarked on a quest to locate the Luna-25’s “final resting place.” On August 24th, the team of experts captured images of the area using LRO’s cameras and compared them with previous images of the same region, with the most recent ones dating back to June 2022. As a result, they identified a new crater formed on the Moon.
“The newly formed crater is in close proximity to the estimated Luna-25 impact site, leading the LRO team to conclude that this structure is likely the result of Luna-25 rather than a naturally occurring object,” NASA announced on August 31st.
The new crater measures approximately 10 meters in diameter and is located at 58 degrees south latitude, on the inner slope of Pontécoulant G crater. The impact point is approximately 400 kilometers away from Luna-25’s designated landing site, situated at 69.5 degrees south latitude.
Luna-25 was launched into space on August 11th, marking Russia’s first lunar mission since 1976, during the Soviet era. The spacecraft’s name pays homage to that earlier era, as the previous lunar probe (launched in 1976) was named Luna-24.
Luna-25 aimed to become the first spacecraft to softly land near the Moon’s south pole, an area believed to contain water ice—a valuable resource for future astronauts. However, its failure allowed India’s Chandrayaan-3, launched on July 14th and successfully landed on August 23rd, to claim this distinction.
India’s Vikram lander and the autonomous rover Pragyan, part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, are currently exploring the lunar south pole region. These solar-powered units are designed to operate during a lunar day, which is equivalent to approximately 14 Earth days. Subsequently, the lunar nightfall is expected to cause them to cease their operations.