MOON SHOOT

Russia’s Luna-25 Spacecraft Malfunctions During Moon Landing Maneuver

It is unclear whether the spacecraft, the first Russian lunar lander in nearly 50 years, will be able to land on schedule.

The first Russian spacecraft meant to land on the moon in nearly 50 years failed to enter its pre-landing orbit of the moon Saturday, according to Roscosmos, the Russian state space corporation. In a statement, the corporation said that an “abnormal situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the manoeuvre to be performed with the specified parameters.” The spacecraft, Luna-25, was expected to land on the moon on Monday, and it is unclear now whether it will stick to that schedule. Roscosmos said the team was investigating the situation but did not give further details. It was the nation’s first attempt to land on the moon since the Soviet era, and signaled a growing space race with the U.S. and China—especially to the lunar south pole, where Luna-25 was expected to land.