By Emre Gurkan Abay
MOSCOW (AA) – Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and crashed into the moon, state space corporation Roscosmos said on Sunday.
In a statement, Roscosmos said it lost contact with the Luna-25 on Saturday after the pilotless spacecraft ran into difficulties.
“The spacecraft moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon,” the agency said.
It added that a special interdepartmental commission was investigating the cause of the crash.
Luna-25 was launched on Aug. 11 from the Vostochny Space Launch Center, 5,500 kilometers (over 3,417 miles) east of Moscow.
Russia’s first moon mission in 47 years was expected to land on Monday. According to state news agency TASS, the mission was to study the internal structure of the moon and explore natural resources, including water.
*Writing by Merve Berker