NASA has detected a recently formed crater on the moon, and it appears to be of non-natural origin.

During the intense competition to achieve the distinction of being the first nation to successfully land a spacecraft in the moon’s highly sought-after south pole region, Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft, marking the country’s return to lunar exploration after almost fifty years, experienced a crash on August 19.

Subsequently, NASA’s lunar surveillance satellite, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, identified this newly formed crater, measuring approximately 10 meters in width (equivalent to over 30 feet), Mashable reported.

“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 space agency wrote. 

Landing on the moon is a formidable challenge. Lunar spacecraft face several daunting hurdles, including limited fuel, the absence of GPS navigation, and the absence of an atmosphere to facilitate deceleration.

Prior to Luna-25’s descent, an unexpected thruster malfunction resulted in the spacecraft entering an erratic orbit.

In addition to showcasing Russia’s renewed commitment to lunar exploration and its competence in deep space endeavors, the year-long mission also aimed to conduct research on lunar radiation, explore natural resources, and assess the conditions within the enigmatic south pole craters, all with an eye toward supporting future lunar exploration efforts.

Written by staff