The Russian probe Luna-25, whose mission is to be the first spacecraft to land on the South Pole of the Earth’s satellite, failed to enter required orbit to land this Monday on the lunar surface, as reported today by the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.
“During the operation at the automatic station, an emergency situation occurred that prevented the maneuver from being carried out according to the expected parameters,” said a Roscomos statement on Telegram.
The problems aboard the spacecraft arose when at 2:10 p.m. Moscow time (11:10 a.m. GMT) the engines propelled Luna-25 into its pre-moon landing orbit.
“At the moment the specialists of the control group are analyzing the situation,” adds the official note.
The probe, which left on August 11 from the cosmodromo Vostochniin the Russian Far East, entered orbit this Wednesday, after five days and almost ten hours of travel.