Following the setback of Russia's first lunar expedition in 47 years, a prominent physicist, who had played a crucial advisory role in Vladimir Putin's Moon mission, has been hospitalised. Mikhail Marov, aged 90, was urgently hospitalised after his health significantly deteriorated following the Luna-25 spacecraft's loss of control and subsequent crash into the Moon, reported The Independent. The incident marked a distressing turn of events for Marov, who had been closely associated with Vladimir Putin's Moon mission.
“It is so sad that it was not possible to land the apparatus,” Marov said after the failure of the Luna-25. In an interview with the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper, he expressed his desire for a thorough and comprehensive discussion and investigation into the factors leading to the crash, the report said. "This was perhaps the last hope for me to see a revival of our lunar programme," he added.
Roscosmos, the space agency of Russia, reported a communication breakdown with the spacecraft at 11:57am (GMT) on Saturday due to an issue that arose while the craft was being manoeuvred into a pre-landing orbit. “The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon,” the space agency said in a statement.
Speaking about the crash, Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov went on to blame the country's long pause in lunar exploration for the mission's failure. “Interrupting the lunar programme for almost 50 years is the main reason for the failure of Luna 25. The invaluable experience that our predecessors accumulated in the 1960s and 1970s was practically lost during the interruption of the programme,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking about the crash, Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov went on to blame the country's long pause in lunar exploration for the mission's failure. “Interrupting the lunar programme for almost 50 years is the main reason for the failure of Luna 25. The invaluable experience that our predecessors accumulated in the 1960s and 1970s was practically lost during the interruption of the programme,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The unsuccessful outcome of Luna-25 highlighted Russia's diminishing influence in space exploration compared to its heyday during the Cold War rivalry. During that era, Moscow achieved significant milestones like launching the world's first satellite, Sputnik 1, into Earth's orbit in 1957.
Russia has been engaged in a competitive race with India, as India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is set to achieve a landing on the moon's southern pole this week.
(With inputs from agencies)