Luna 25 Explained

Luna-25
Names List:Luna-Glob lander
Mission Type:Technology, reconnaissance
Operator:SRI RAS (IKI RAN)
Spacecraft Type:Robotic lander
Manufacturer:NPO Lavochkin
Launch Date:[1] [2]
Launch Rocket:Soyuz-2.1b / Fregat[3]
Launch Site:Vostochny Cosmodrome[4]
Launch Contractor:
Type:lander
Object:Lunar
Arrival Date: (crashed)
Location:near-Lunar south pole (intended)
(crash site)
(Pontécoulant G crater)
Insignia:Luna 25 mission patch.png
Insignia Caption:Luna 25 mission patch
Insignia Size:150px
Programme:Luna-Glob programme
Previous Mission:Luna 24
Next Mission:Luna 26

Luna 25 (or Luna-25; Russian: Луна-25) was a failed Russian lunar lander mission by Roscosmos[5] in August 2023 that planned to land near the lunar south pole, in the vicinity of the crater Boguslawsky.[6]

Initially called the Luna-Glob lander (Russian: Луна-Глоб), it was renamed Luna 25 to emphasize continuity with the Soviet Luna programme from the 1970s, though it is part of the Luna-Glob lunar exploration programme. It was the first lunar lander that the Russian space agency Roscosmos has sent to the Moon (notwithstanding the ones sent by the Soviet space program) and would have been the first lander to land on the lunar south pole.[7]

The Luna 25 mission lifted off on 10 August 2023, 23:10 UTC, atop a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's far eastern Amur Region,[8] and on 16 August entered lunar orbit. On 19 August at 11:57 UTC, the lander crashed on the Moon's surface after a failed orbital manoeuvre.[9] [10]

History

The previous lunar lander in the series was a Soviet craft, Luna 24, launched in 1976. Nascent plans for what became Luna 25 began in the late 1990s, with the evaluation of two spacecraft designs having taken place by 1998. Attempts to revive and complete the project continued throughout the 2000s and were punctuated by an aborted attempt at international cooperation via a merger with JAXA's now-cancelled Lunar-A orbiter, and pressure from another attempted cooperative lunar mission with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) (which continued without Russia's involvement).[11]

Initial mission plans called for a lander and orbiter, with the latter also deploying impact penetrators. In its final form, Luna 25 was a lander only, with a primary mission of testing the landing technology. The mission carried of scientific instruments, including a robotic arm for soil samples and possible drilling hardware.[9] [12]

Delays in the 2010s came first from the significant rework and delay brought on by the failure of Phobos-Grunt in 2011. At this point the modern Luna 25 design was developed. Later work on the lander was slowed by resource pressures being placed upon spacecraft developer NPO Lavochkin, such as the weather satellite Elektro-L No.2 and the Spektr-RG observatory,[13] as well the landing platform Russia was contributing to ExoMars 2020.[14]

By 2017, the propulsion system for the spacecraft was in assembly.[15]

The intended landing site was located at -69.545°N 43.544°W (north of the crater Boguslavsky), with two backup locations at -68.773°N 21.21°W (southwest of the Manzini crater) and -68.648°N 11.553°W (south of Pentland A crater).[16]

The planned mission duration of the lander on the surface of the Moon was to be at least one Earth year.

At least 12.5 billion roubles (over US$130 million) had been spent on the project.[17] [18]

Science payload

The lander featured a payload comprising eight Russian science instruments:[19] [20]

LINA-XSAN, a Swedish payload, was originally to fly with Luna 25, but delays to the launch date caused Sweden to cancel this plan. Instead, LINA-XSAN flew on Chang'e 4 in 2019.[21]

ESA's PILOT-D navigation demonstration camera was planned to be flown on this mission, but flew instead with a commercial service provider,[22] due to continued international collaboration having been thrown into doubt by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and related sanctions on Russia.[23] [24] The demonstration instrument was supposed to collect data for the landing of other missions and was therefore not part of the lander's operating system.[25]

Flight

The launch took place on 10 August 2023 from Vostochny Cosmodrome on a Soyuz-2 rocket with a Fregat upper stage.[26] [27] [28] On 16 August, the lander entered lunar orbit, with a scheduled landing date of 21 August.[29]

Crash

On 19 August, Roscosmos declared an "abnormal situation" after commanding the lander to move into a pre-landing orbit.[30] [31] According to Director General of Roscosmos Yuri Borisov, a maneuvering engine could not be shut down, and ran for 127 seconds instead of 84.[32] The lander crashed on the lunar surface following the failed maneuver,[33] [34] which created a trajectory that intersected with the Moon instead of a planned elliptical orbit with a minimum distance of 18 km.[35]

Roscosmos said that it had lost contact with the spacecraft 47 minutes after the start of the engine firing.[36] Attempts on 19 and 20 August to locate and re-establish contact with the spacecraft were unsuccessful,[37] and a commission was formed to investigate the crash.

The LRO camera team located the likely location of the impact crater, after an estimate was published by Russian researchers. The crash site is situated on the steep inner rim of the Pontécoulant G crater, which is 400 kilometers short of Luna 25's intended landing point if it had attempted a landing procedure.[38]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: David . Leonard . Russia launches Luna 25 moon lander, its 1st lunar probe in 47 years . 11 August 2023 . 11 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230811024205/https://www.space.com/russia-luna-25-moon-mission-launch-success . live .
  2. News: Luna 25 launch broadcast. ru. 12 August 2023. 12 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230812172120/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgi2pIFrnW4&t=4465. live.
  3. Mitrofanov. Igor. "Luna-Glob" and "Luna-Resurs": science goals, payload and status . EGU General Assembly 2014.
  4. Web site: Запуск станции «Луна-25» запланирован на май 2022 года . The launch of the Luna 25 spacecraft is scheduled for May 2022 . . 10 August 2021 . 10 August 2021 . ru . 30 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210930195658/https://www.roscosmos.ru/32248/ . live .
  5. Web site: Chandrayaan-3 Vs Russia's Luna-25 Which one is likely to win the space race. 14 August 2023. 16 August 2023. 16 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230816051849/https://www.cnbctv18.com/science/chandrayaan3-russia-luna-25-who-is-likely-win-space-race-17524541.htm. live.
  6. O'Callaghan . Jonathan . 2023-08-21 . Russian Moon lander crash — what happened, and what's next? . Nature . en . 10.1038/d41586-023-02659-6 . 37604864 . 261063736 . 21 August 2023 . 22 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230822132819/https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02659-6 . live .
  7. News: Russia's Luna 25 could land on the moon days before Chandrayaan-3: How the two missions compare . The Indian Express . 13 August 2023 . en . 14 August 2023 . 14 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230814122900/https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/russias-luna-25-chandrayaan-3-how-the-two-missions-compare-8890955/ . live .
  8. Web site: As Chandrayaan-3 and Luna 25 prepare to land on Moon, two questions. 19 August 2023. 19 August 2023. 19 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230819150636/https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/as-chandrayaan-3-and-luna-25-prepare-to-land-on-moon-two-questions-8898944/. live.
  9. Web site: Krebs. Gunter. Luna-Glob (Luna 25). Gunter's Space Page. 3 December 2019. 14 January 2020. 24 July 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220724002617/https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/luna-glob.htm. live.
  10. Web site: Howell . Elizabeth . Russia's Luna-25 Lander Has Crashed into the Moon . 2023-08-21 . Scientific American . en . 22 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230822132821/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/russias-luna-25-lander-has-crashed-into-the-moon/ . live .
  11. Web site: Zak. Anatoly. Luna-Glob project. RussianSpaceWeb.com. 19 June 2019. 14 January 2020. 15 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220915050356/http://www.russianspaceweb.com/luna_glob.html. live.
  12. Web site: Zak. Anatoly. The Luna-Glob lander. RussianSpaceWeb.com. 9 October 2019. 14 January 2020. 20 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191220070413/http://www.russianspaceweb.com/luna_glob_lander.html. live.
  13. Web site: Zak. Anatoly. Luna-Glob (Luna 25) project in 2013. RussianSpaceWeb.com. 11 December 2017. 15 March 2018. 16 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180316151707/http://www.russianspaceweb.com/luna_glob_2013.html. live.
  14. Web site: Zak. Anatoly. Development of the Luna-Glob project in 2014 and 2015. RussianSpaceWeb.com. 12 January 2018. 15 March 2018. 23 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180323232809/http://www.russianspaceweb.com/luna-glob-status-2015.html. live.
  15. Web site: Zak. Anatoly. Luna-Glob's stop and go. RussianSpaceWeb.com. 31 March 2018. 14 January 2020. 28 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200128085433/http://russianspaceweb.com/luna-glob-2017.html. live.
  16. Web site: ЛУНА-25 Space Research Institute – IKI . 16 August 2023 . iki.cosmos.ru . 12 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230812112607/https://iki.cosmos.ru/missions/luna-25 . live .
  17. Web site: 2023-08-21 . Что ждет российскую лунную миссию после потери аппарата "Луна-25" и как по ней ударят санкции – объясняет эксперт . 2023-08-21 . Настоящее Время . ru . 22 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230822132823/https://www.currenttime.tv/a/iz-za-sanktsiy-roskosmos-ne-smozhet-povtorit-lunu-25/32557068.html . live .
  18. Web site: 2023-08-20 . Роскосмос: "Луна-25" потерпела крушение, станция столкнулась с поверхностью Луны . 2023-08-21 . RTVI . ru.
  19. Web site: Luna 25 (Luna-Glob Lander) Payload. Iki.rssi.ru. 14 February 2019. 29 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180929091011/http://www.iki.rssi.ru/eng/luna25.htm. live.
  20. Web site: NASA – Spacecraft Luna 25 – Details . nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov . 14 August 2023 . 1 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230601091139/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=LUNA-25 . live .
  21. Web site: Pillet. Nicolas. Russia's Luna-Glob faces technical, political and ballistic issues. NASASpaceFlight.com. 25 June 2018. 14 January 2020. 28 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230528013051/https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2018/06/russias-luna-glob-technical-political-ballistic-issues/. live.
  22. Web site: ESA's PROSPECT lunar drill (originally scheduled to fly on Luna-27) will now fly on a NASA CLPS mission. ESA's PILoT-D (originally planned for Luna 25) navigation camera is "already being procured from a commercial service provider." . 14 April 2022 . Twitter . en . 14 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220414044721/https://twitter.com/europespace360/status/1514233988579315721 . live .
  23. Witze . Alexandra . Russia's invasion of Ukraine is redrawing the geopolitics of space . Nature . 13 March 2022 . en . 10.1038/d41586-022-00727-x . 11 March 2022 . 35277688 . 247407886 . 13 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220313014509/https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00727-x . live .
  24. Web site: Redirecting ESA programmes in response to geopolitical crisis . 14 April 2022 . www.esa.int . en . 13 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220413140801/https://www.esa.int/Newsroom/Press_Releases/Redirecting_ESA_programmes_in_response_to_geopolitical_crisis . live .
  25. News: Europe halts moon exploration partnership with Russia, looks to replace Ukraine-built rocket engines . Space.com . 13 April 2022 . en . 14 August 2023 . 14 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230814122901/https://www.space.com/europe-moon-pertnership-russia-ukraine-rocket-engines . live .
  26. Web site: Запуск первой в истории современной России миссии на Луну запланировали на 11 августа . The launch of the first mission to the Moon in the history of modern Russia was scheduled for August 11 . ru . 5 June 2023 . 5 June 2023 . TASS . 5 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230605143827/https://tass.ru/kosmos/17932551 . live .
  27. Web site: Запуск миссии "Луна-25" с космодрома Восточный запланировали на 22 августа . The launch of the Luna 25 mission from the Vostochny Cosmodrome was scheduled for August 22 . . 8 April 2022 . 8 April 2022 . ru . 8 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220408105009/https://ria.ru/20220408/kosmos-1782483820.html . live .
  28. Web site: Россия запустит космический аппарат на Луну 1 октября 2021 года. Russia will launch a spacecraft to the moon on October 1, 2021. RIA Novosti. 17 March 2020. 18 March 2020. ru. 17 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200317054917/https://ria.ru/20200317/1568701598.html. live.
  29. News: Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft enters lunar orbit -space agency . Reuters . 16 August 2023 . en . 16 August 2023 . 16 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230816142923/https://www.reuters.com/technology/space/russias-luna-25-spacecraft-enters-lunar-orbit-space-agency-2023-08-16/ . live .
  30. Web site: Госкорпорация "Роскосмос" . State Corporation Roscosmos . 19 August 2023 . Telegram . ru . 19 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230819153320/https://t.me/roscosmos_gk/10535 . live .
  31. Web site: Berger . Eric . 19 August 2023 . Is Luna 25 alive? Russia says an "emergency situation" has occurred . 20 August 2023 . Ars Technica . en-us . 20 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820011331/https://arstechnica.com/space/2023/08/russia-seems-to-have-lost-contact-with-its-first-lunar-probe-in-half-a-century/ . live .
  32. Web site: ZEIT ONLINE Lesen Sie zeit.de mit Werbung oder im PUR-Abo. Sie haben die Wahl. . 2023-08-21 . www.zeit.de.
  33. News: Luna-25 crashes into moon after orbit maneuver . Jones. Andrew . . 20 August 2023 . 20 August 2023.
  34. Web site: ГК "Роскосмос": Об автоматической станции "Луна-25" . Roscosmos State Corporation: About the Luna-25 automatic station . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820095437/https://iki.cosmos.ru/news/gk-roskosmos-ob-avtomaticheskoy-stancii-luna-25 . 20 August 2023 . 20 August 2023 . iki.cosmos.ru . Space Research Institute – IKI . ru.
  35. Web site: Roscosmos Confirms Luna-25 Crash . 2023-08-21 . aviationweek.com . 21 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230821191144/https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/roscosmos-confirms-luna-25-crash . live .
  36. News: Russia's Lunar Lander Crashes Into the Moon . The New York Times . 20 August 2023 . 21 August 2023 . 21 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230821160929/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/20/science/russia-moon-space-crash.html . live .
  37. Web site: Pavlova . Uliana . Stambaugh . Alex . 20 August 2023 . Russia's first moon mission in decades fails after spacecraft collides with surface . 20 August 2023 . . 20 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230820094504/https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/20/world/luna-25-spacecraft-moon-collision-intl/index.html . live .
  38. Web site: Steigerwald . Bill . 2023-08-30 . NASA's LRO Observes Crater Likely from Luna 25 Impact . 2023-09-01 . NASA.

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