Russia's Luna-25 Probe Experiences Glitch Ahead Of Moon Landing

Russia's Luna-25 probe, which is scheduled to land on the Moon on Monday, experienced an "emergency" during a manoeuvre on Saturday, as reported by the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

Roscosmos in a statement said, "Thrust was engaged to transition the probe to the pre-landing orbit. During this operation, an unexpected emergency situation occurred on board the automated station, preventing the execution of the maneuver under the specified conditions."

The Luna-25 lander, Russia's first lunar mission in nearly half a century, had been successfully inserted into the Moon's orbit on Wednesday, following its launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia's Far East.

The statement did not specify whether this incident would result in a delay in the planned landing, scheduled for Monday, in the vicinity of the lunar south pole, near the Boguslawsky crater.

In June, Yuri Borisov, the head of Roscosmos, had conveyed to President Vladimir Putin that missions of this nature were "risky," with an estimated success rate of approximately 70 percent.

The probe's mission involves spending a year on the Moon, where it is tasked with collecting samples and analyzing soil. Cameras on board the lander have already captured distant images of Earth and the Moon from space.

Despite tensions with the West, particularly over the conflict in Ukraine, Russia is determined to revitalize and expand upon the pioneering space endeavors of the Soviet Union. This includes pressing ahead with lunar missions, even as the European Space Agency has announced its reluctance to cooperate with Moscow on future missions due to concerns about Russia's actions in Ukraine.