In a recent development that has shaken the space community, the Luna-Glob spacecraft encountered a catastrophic emergency on August 19, around 18:35 Moscow Time (11:35 a.m. EDT). The Russian space agency, Roskosmos, had initiated an orbital maneuver to transition the spacecraft to a “pre-landing orbit,” but unforeseen circumstances disrupted the operation.
According to Roskosmos, an emergency situation unfolded aboard the Luna-Glob during the maneuver, preventing the spacecraft from achieving the intended parameters. The space agency’s management team is currently engaged in a detailed analysis of the incident to ascertain the nature of the emergency.
As information trickled out, an unofficial Telegram channel named Zakryty Kosmos reported that the spacecraft had lost communication with ground control while undergoing orbit correction. Despite this setback, Roskosmos continued its efforts to reestablish contact with the spacecraft.
Notably, an anonymous source from the Telegram channel Yura Prosti attributed the incident to a computational error. This error supposedly led to a critical engine firing lasting 1.5 times longer than required, ultimately resulting in the spacecraft’s unfortunate deorbiting and subsequent crash on the lunar surface.
Compounding the challenge, the Moon set over Russian territory on August 19 around 21:00 local time (2 p.m. EDT), causing communication breakdowns with Roskosmos’ deep-space ground stations. However, a new window for communication emerged on August 20, first through the NIP-15 site near Ussuriisk in the Far East, followed by NIP-14 in Medvezhi Ozera near Moscow, and NIP-16 near Yevpatoria in occupied Crimea.
On August 20, 2023, at 09:47 Moscow Time, Roskosmos announced that communications with the Luna-Glob spacecraft had been lost since 14:57 Moscow Time on August 19, during the orbit correction phase. Despite all attempts to reestablish contact on both August 19 and 20, the spacecraft remained unresponsive. The initial assessment pointed to an unintended orbital path that resulted in the spacecraft’s crash into the Moon’s surface.
In response to the incident, Roskosmos is in the process of forming a specialized inter-agency commission. This commission will be tasked with investigating the root cause of the failure and shedding light on the factors that contributed to this unfortunate outcome. The space agency’s commitment to transparency and accountability remains steadfast as it navigates this setback.
(With inputs from agencies)
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