One giant step: Moon race heats up
Moon of Russia's Luna-25 probe is the latest twist in an international push to return to the Earth's natural satellite that has drawn in the world's top powers and new players. Technology, science and politics are all essential factors in the Moon race. Here is the latest on various missions: — Russia's Luna — The launch of Luna-25 on August 11 was the first such Russian mission in almost 50 years and marked the beginning of Moscow's new lunar project.
On August 16 the lander was successfully placed in the Moon's orbit but on Sunday, space agency Roscomos announced it had «ceased to exist following a collision with the Moon's surface». «Measures taken on August 19 and 20 to locate the craft and make contact with it were unsuccessful,» the agency added. It had been set to land on the Moon's surface on Monday and remain there for one year to collect samples and analyse soil.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been working to strengthen space cooperation with China after ties with the West broke down following the start of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Moscow had hoped to build on the legacy of the Soviet-era Luna programme, marking a return to independent lunar exploration in the face of financial troubles and corruption scandals at its space programme and growing isolation from the West. — China's great leap — China is pursuing plans to send a crewed mission to the Moon by 2030 and build a base there.
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