CNN —A new crater has appeared on the moon, and it was likely created when Russia’s uncrewed Luna 25 mission crashed into the lunar surface.
Images taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and released by the agency on Thursday reveal the fresh crater.
The Luna 25 spacecraft, Russia’s first lunar lander in 47 years, launched on August 10 and was expected to land near the lunar south pole a couple of weeks later.
But communication with the spacecraft was disrupted and Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, reported an “emergency situation” occurred while Luna 25 tried to enter a pre-landing lunar orbit on August 19.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter previously imaged the site in June 2022.
Persons:
Russia’s uncrewed Luna, Luna, NASA's, India’s
Organizations:
CNN, Reconnaissance Orbiter, Roscosmos, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Reconnaissance, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, Arizona State University, NASA