Russia's first moonshot in nearly half a century has failed after its Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and smashed into the moon.
It was Russia's first moon mission since the Soviet Union's Luna-24 returned with samples from the moon in 1976.from the Vostochny cosmodrome, 3,450 miles east of Moscow, at 2:11 a.m. Moscow time on Aug. 11.
Failure for the prestige mission underscores the decline of Russia's space power since the glory days of Cold War competition when Moscow was the first to launch a satellite to orbit the Earth - Sputnik 1, in 1957 - and Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to travel into space in 1961. Failure also underscores the pressure on Russia's $2 trillion economy, which has so far withstood what the West casts as the most stringent sanctions ever imposed.
Over the past three decades, Russia has considered various moon missions which were delayed or shelved amid the chaos of the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union and the ensuing economic and political turmoil.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft produces first results, space agency saysThe Russian spacecraft on a mission to the moon's south pole has produced its first results and they are being analysed, Russia's national space agency Roskosmos said on Saturday.
Read more »
Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch in pre-landing maneuverRussia reported an “abnormal situation” Saturday on its moon-bound Luna-25 spacecraft, which launched earlier this month.
Read more »
Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch in pre-landing maneuverRussia reported an “abnormal situation” Saturday on its moon-bound Luna-25 spacecraft, which launched earlier this month
Read more »
Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch in pre-landing maneuverRussia reported an “abnormal situation” Saturday on its moon-bound Luna-25 spacecraft, which launched earlier this month.
Read more »
Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch in pre-landing maneuverRussia reported an “abnormal situation” Saturday on its moon-bound Luna-25 spacecraft, which launched earlier this month.
Read more »
Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch in pre-landing maneuverRussia reported an 'abnormal situation' Saturday on its moon-bound Luna-25 spacecraft, which launched earlier this month.
Read more »