In this video released by Roscosmos State Space Corporation, the Soyuz-2.1b rocket with the Luna-25 moon lander takes off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East. Unfortunately, the Luna-25 probe crashed onto the moon, highlighting the long-standing problems faced by Russia’s space industry. These issues include the loss of key technologies after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the impact of Western sanctions, brain drain, and corruption.
Yuri Borisov, the head of Roscosmos, attributed the failure to the lack of expertise caused by the long break in lunar research. The Soviet lunar program, although it lost the race to the US in landing humans on the moon, had numerous successful robotic missions. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a loss of experience and a broken link between generations.
Russia’s ambition to land on the lunar south pole ahead of India may have contributed to the failure. The lunar south pole is of great interest to scientists due to the potential presence of frozen water. Russia’s space woes have been exacerbated by Western sanctions, which have restricted imports of key components and scientific exchanges. The partnership with the European Space Agency for the Luna-25 project was halted after the invasion of Ukraine, and Russia faced difficulties in acquiring necessary equipment.
The use of substandard components has been a problem for Russia’s space program in the past, leading to mission failures. There have been speculations that this may be linked to embezzlement schemes rather than technical constraints.
Despite the failure of the Luna-25 mission, Russian officials argue that important results were achieved, such as obtaining pictures of the lunar surface from orbit. They emphasize the importance of lunar research for defense capabilities and technological sovereignty. Roscosmos plans to intensify work on future moon missions, with the next one scheduled for 2027.
There are debates about the consequences of this failure, with some suggesting that it could cost Borisov his job. However, others believe he may avoid dismissal due to President Putin’s tendency to avoid quick ousters of officials. Russia’s space industry has faced criticism for failed satellite launches in recent years, leading to a decline in its position in the global space launch market.
Overall, the Luna-25 crash has dealt a blow to Russia’s prestige, highlighting the challenges the country faces in its space program.
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