The Unfortunate End of Luna 25: A Comparison with Chandrayaan 3

Introduction:

Russia’s lunar exploration project, Luna 25, recently suffered a devastating setback with a crash landing on the Moon’s surface. After five decades of restarting its lunar missions, this failure marks a somber day for the world of science. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the sequence of events that might have led to this unfortunate outcome, while also drawing a comparison between Luna 25 and India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission. Please note that this content is intended solely for educational and knowledge purposes. Ideaota assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies or losses that may occur due to the information provided.

Luna 25’s Journey and Unfortunate End:

Following the separation of the third stage boosters and the crucial Fraga engine burn, Luna 25 entered a critical phase of its mission. This phase involved precise correction maneuvers to align its trajectory with the Moon’s orbit, signaling the lunar transfer and orbit insertion phase. However, during this critical phase, the thrusters of the Luna 25 Lander potentially encountered difficulties. These thrusters play a crucial role in countering the Moon’s gravitational pull, ensuring a controlled descent. Unfortunately, it appears that the thrusters failed to provide the necessary thrust, leading to an uncontrolled spinning motion.

As Luna 25 prepared for the deorbiting process in outer space, the thrusters were unable to adequately decelerate the lander. Consequently, Luna 25 entered the Moon’s orbit without the required thruster activation. This mishap resulted in the lander spinning uncontrollably and ultimately experiencing a hard crash landing. This unexpected turn of events marked a premature end to its mission, leaving the scientific community disappointed.

Chandrayaan 3’s Approach:

In contrast to Luna 25’s unfortunate outcome, India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission was designed with a distinct approach. Chandrayaan 3 involves an indigenous propulsion module, a lander module, and a rover. The mission’s strategy entails executing multiple orbits around Earth, utilizing the slingshot technique to harness Earth’s gravitational pull and internal thrusters for course adjustments. This approach ultimately guides Chandrayaan 3 into a trajectory that enables it to achieve lunar orbit.

Chandrayaan 3’s mission objective was to operate for one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days. This duration takes into account the extreme cold on the Moon’s South Pole, which poses challenges for equipment endurance due to the absence of sunlight to power the rover and lander. Unlike Luna 25, Chandrayaan 3’s mission timeline and design considered these environmental factors.