Russia's moon mission has faltered following the crash of the Luna-25 spacecraft which spun out of control before smashing into the surface of the moon, according to Reuters.
The news agency on Sunday reported quoting Russia's state space corporation Roskosmos as saying that it had lost contact with the spacecraft shortly after a problem occurred as it was shunted into pre-landing orbit on Saturday.
Roskosmos, according to Reuters, said, "The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon."
This means that all eyes will now be on India whose Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is scheduled to make its landing on the south pole of the Moon on Wednesday (August 23).
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon on August 23, 2023 (Wednesday), around 18:04 IST. The spacecraft is now just three-day away from its final destination, the moon's south pole.
ISRO's successful bid at a soft landing on the moon will make it the fourth nation after United States, Russia and China to achieve the feat.
In a post on X on Sunday, ISRO said, "Chandrayaan-3 is set to land on the moon on August 23, 2023, around 18:04 Hrs. IST. Thanks for the wishes and positivity! Let’s continue experiencing the journey together."
Live actions will be available on the ISRO website, its YouTube channel, Facebook, and public broadcaster DD National TV from 17:27 IST on Aug 24, 2023.
