The loss of Luna 25, Russia’s first moon mission in decades, likely came down to engine failure, Yury Borisov, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, told state media on Monday.
“Before making adjustments, the spacecraft reoriented, and at 14:10 the engines were turned on, that were supposed to correct the course and lead the spacecraft to pre-landing orbit. Unfortunately, the engine shutdown did not occur normally in accordance with the cyclogram, but according to a temporary cutoff,” Borisov said in an interview that aired on the state station Russia-24, which was shared by Roscosmos. “Instead of the planned 84 seconds, the engine worked for 127 seconds,” he added.
A special commission will investigate the reasons for the loss of Luna 25, the Russian space agency said. Borisov said the interruption of the lunar program for almost 50 years also played a part in the crash. “We have to essentially master all the technologies all over again — of course, at a new technical level,” he said.
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