(VOVWORLD) - An abnormal situation occurred at Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft on Saturday as it was preparing to transfer to its pre-landing orbit, Russia's national space agency Roskosmos said.
 A picture taken from the camera of the lunar landing spacecraft Luna-25 shows the Zeeman crater located on the far side of the moon, August 17, 2023. (Photo: Roscosmos/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo) |
The spacecraft is scheduled to land on the south pole of the moon on Monday, part of a big power race to explore a part of the moon which scientists think may hold frozen water and precious elements.
Specialists are analysing the situation, the agency said, without providing further details.
Earlier, Roskosmos said it had received initial results from the Luna-25 mission and that they were under analysis.
The agency also shared images taken from the spacecraft of the Zeeman crater, the third deepest in the moon's southern hemisphere, measuring 190 km in diameter and eight km in depth.
Roskosmos said that the data received thus far has provided information about the chemical elements in the lunar soil and will also aid in the operation of devices designed for studying the moon’s near-surface, noting that its equipment detected the occurrence of a micrometeorite impact.