Russia's Luna-25 may lag behind India's Chandrayaan-3: Here's why
India's Chandrayaan-3 mission is on track for a successful lunar landing after completing its second and final deboosting operation, per ISRO. Launched on July 14, Chandrayaan-3 entered lunar orbit on August 5. It'll make a soft landing on Moon's surface on August 23. In contrast, Russia's Luna-25 mission launched on August 10, has encountered a last-minute technical glitch ahead of its pre-moon landing phase.
The latest maneuver reduces the module's orbit to 25kmx134km
Chandrayaan-3's Vikram Lander completed its first deboosting operation, reducing the module's orbit to 113kmx157km. The latest maneuver brought it to 25kmx134km. The Lander Module, carrying the rover inside, separated from the Propulsion Module on August 17, and has now descended to a slightly lower orbit upon deboosting. The mission's next step is the powered descent toward the Moon's south pole, scheduled for August 23.
Take a look at the official confirmation from ISRO
Russia's Luna-25 has encountered an unexpected hurdle
According to the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, the Luna-25 mission encountered last-minute issues prior to its pre-moon landing phase. An "abnormal situation" on its Moon-bound Luna-25 spacecraft was reported on Saturday. Roscosmos is currently analyzing the situation but has not yet released an official statement. The spacecraft is scheduled to land on the Moon's south pole on August 21—two days before Chandrayaan-3's landing.
These were the findings of Luna-25
Reporting a technical glitch on Saturday, Roscosmos stated that "during the operation, an emergency situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the carrying out of the maneuver within the specified conditions." Further, the space agency's preliminary data contained details about the lunar soil's chemical elements, and also reported that its equipment had detected a "micrometeorite impact."
What are the future implications for Moon exploration?
The lunar south pole has long captivated scientists who believe that the permanently shadowed polar craters could contain water. Frozen water in the rocks could potentially be used by future explorers to create air and rocket fuel. As Chandrayaan-3 proceeds without technical issues, both India and Russia are racing to explore this fascinating region of Earth's satellite.
