NASA images confirm Russia's Luna-25 left 10-metre crater on Moon

On August 19, Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft lost control during its approach to the Moon and slammed into the lunar surface near the south pole. Now, nearly two weeks later, NASA has released images that confirm what happened: a fresh 10-metre crater, clearly visible in photographs taken by the space agency's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, marks the exact spot where the Russian probe came to rest.

The crater's discovery closes one chapter of a mission that was supposed to represent Russia's return to lunar exploration after a 47-year absence. Luna-25 had launched on August 11 with ambitious plans to explore the Moon's south polar region, an area scientists believe may contain frozen water. The spacecraft was designed to execute a soft landing—a delicate maneuver that requires precision timing and flawless execution. Instead, something went wrong during the final approach. The probe spun out of control and impacted the surface, leaving behind only that 10-metre scar and a significant embarrassment for Russia's space program.

NASA's analysis was straightforward. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which continuously photographs the Moon's surface, captured images of the new crater. Because its location matched so closely with the estimated impact point of Luna-25, the space agency concluded with confidence that this was no natural feature—no ancient meteorite strike—but the direct result of the Russian spacecraft's failure. "The new crater is about 10 metres in diameter," NASA stated. "Since this new crater is close to the Luna-25 estimated impact point, the LRO team concludes it is likely to be from that mission, rather than a natural impactor."

The timing of the failure made it sting more sharply. Just days after Luna-25 crashed, India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully landed on the Moon in the same region, achieving what Russia could not. Both missions had been racing toward the same scientific prize—the chance to study the lunar south pole and its potential water reserves. India crossed the finish line; Russia did not.

For Russia's space program, the crash represented a painful reminder of how far the country has fallen from its Cold War dominance. Once a superpower in space exploration, Russia has watched its capabilities decline for decades. Luna-25 was meant to signal a comeback, a reassertion of Russian ambition beyond Earth's orbit. Instead, it became another failure in a program struggling to maintain relevance.

Yet the Kremlin moved quickly to downplay the setback. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, told reporters that the failed mission was "nothing terrible" and that dwelling on it would be pointless. "This is not a reason to despair, nor to tear our hair out," he said. "This is another reason to analyse the causes and eliminate them next time. The main thing is not to stop." He emphasized that Russia's space exploration plans remained ambitious and would continue forward. Whether those plans can survive another failure, or whether Luna-25 marks a deeper crisis in Russian spaceflight, remains to be seen.