The device fell into a 42-kilometer crater in the southern hemisphere of the moon
The American Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA shared interesting photographs taken by NASA’s automatic interplanetary station LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, an artificial satellite of the Moon).
The frames were combined into a GIF animation that clearly shows the same place on the lunar surface on June 27, 2020 and August 24, 2023. The difference is immediately visible – a new impact crater has appeared on the Moon, apparently formed as a result of the collapse of the Russian mission Luna-25.
NASA explained:
Because this new crater is close to the suspected impact point of Luna 25, the LRO team concluded that it was most likely formed by … [the crash] rather than by a natural impact.
NASA also noted that the new crater is 10 meters wide and is located at approximately 58 degrees south latitude, on the steep inner edge of the lunar crater Ponteculan G. The impact site is approximately 400 kilometers from the planned landing site of Luna 25, which is located at 69. 5 degrees south latitude.
NASA releases satellite image of Luna 25 crash site
Let us remind you that Luna-25 fell on the surface of the Moon at 14:58 Moscow time on August 19. Landing of the device was scheduled for August 21. The main reason is said to be abnormal operation of the correction engine, which, when the device attempted to move into the pre-landing orbit, worked longer than the required time.
The automatic station “Luna-25” was supposed to work out the technology of soft landing, take and analyze the soil and conduct long-term scientific research, study the upper layer of the surface regolith in the region of the South Pole of the Moon and the lunar exosphere.
