A failed lunar mission dents Russian pride and reflects deeper problems with Moscow’s space industry

  • 📰 chicagotribune
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 65 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 29%
  • Publisher: 91%

South Africa News News

South Africa South Africa Latest News,South Africa South Africa Headlines

An ambitious but failed attempt by Russia to return to the moon after nearly half a century has exposed the massive challenges faced by Moscow’s once-proud space program.

In this photo released by the Roscosmos State Space Corporation, the moon lander Luna-25 automatic station is seen inside a plant shop at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russia's Far East, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023.

Mikhail Marov, a 90-year-old scientist who played a prominent role in planning the earlier lunar missions and worked on the Luna-25 project, was hospitalized after its failure. Vitaly Egorov, a popular Russian space blogger, noted that Roscosmos may have neglected the warnings in a rush to be the first to land on the lunar south pole ahead of an Indian spacecraft that has been orbiting the moon ahead of a planned landing.

Years earlier, Russia hoped to buy the main navigation device for the lunar mission from Airbus, but couldn’t due to restrictions blocking the technology transfer. In the end, it developed its own equipment that delayed the project and weighed twice as much, reducing the scientific payload for the spacecraft that weighed 1,750 kilograms .

Russian state television had hailed Luna-25 as the country’s triumphant entry into a new moon race, but since the crash, the broadcasters have tried to play down the loss of the spacecraft. Some argued the mission wasn’t a complete failure because it sent back pictures of the lunar surface from orbit and other data.He insisted that taking part in lunar research “not only means prestige or achieving geopolitical goals, it is necessary to ensure defense capability and technological sovereignty.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 8. in ZA

South Africa South Africa Latest News, South Africa South Africa Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

A failed lunar mission dents Russian pride and reflects deeper problems with Moscow's space industryAn ambitious but failed attempt by Russia to return to the moon after nearly half a century has exposed the massive challenges faced by Moscow’s once-proud space program.
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »

A failed lunar mission dents Russian pride and reflects deeper problems with Moscow's space industryAn ambitious but failed attempt by Russia to return to the moon after nearly half a century has exposed the massive challenges faced by Moscow’s once-proud space program
Source: sdut - 🏆 5. / 95 Read more »

A failed lunar mission dents Russian pride and reflects deeper problems with Moscow's space industryAn ambitious but failed attempt by Russia to return to the moon after nearly half a century has exposed the massive challenges faced by Moscow’s once-proud space program.
Source: ksatnews - 🏆 442. / 53 Read more »