Launched from the Vostochny space station, Luna-25 was the first spacecraft to touch down on the difficult terrain of the Moon’s south pole. The station’s main task was to analyze the composition of the soil and determine if there was ice on the orb.
Based on the footage taken by NASA’s lunar probe, LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter), the US agency determined that the crater might show the impact site of the Russian spacecraft.
“The new crater is about 10 meters in diameter. Given its proximity to the estimated point of impact for Luna-25, the LRO team concluded that it may have been created in the aftermath of the mission, rather than due to a natural impact.” The agency said.
The new crater is located about 400 km from the planned landing site of the Luna-25 spacecraft on the inner rim of an old, steep and much larger crater. The new crater is not yet visible in images taken by NASA’s spacecraft during its flyby last year.
The reasons for the loss of Luna 25 in Russia will be investigated by a special interministerial commission. This project was the first mission of the Russian lunar exploration program. The previous station, Luna-24, was launched from the Soviet Union in 1976.
Cover image source: SOPA Pictures
