The message from Roscosmos was pretty bland:
During the operation, an abnormal situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the maneuver to be performed with the specified parameters.
Translated into normal speech, we learned that Luna-25 crashed during its attempted landing on the lunar surface.
This is a blow for Russia and Putin as well. The Soviet Union could threaten the world and run a terrific space program. The Russians are bogged down in Ukraine and unable to pick up a lunar program ceased about 50 years ago. It is sad to watch.
Roscosmos Director General Yury Borisov blamed the crash on Russia’s long absence from the Moon, stating,
The negative experience of interrupting the lunar program for almost 50 years is the main reason for the failures.
He may want to add corruption, economic sanctions, and horrible leadership to that list of reasons.
At least the Russian mission was able to share a few photos from orbit before it all ended.
The Moon’s south pole is still available for anyone who wants it. The Indian space program will give it a try this week. We can only wish them well as they fly over the Russian rubble.
Our Awesome Universe 