Russia’s ambitions for its first Moon landing mission in 47 years have come to an abrupt end after the Luna 25 lander crashed into the lunar surface. According to Roscosmos, the robotic probe impacted on August 19 at 2:57 pm Moscow time after a malfunction.

Not many details about the incident have been released by the Russian space agency, but a brief statement claims that the crash was a result of an engine misfire during a maneuver to place Luna 25 into an elliptical approach orbit in preparation for a landing on August 21 north of the crater Boguslavsky at the lunar south pole.

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Instead of reaching the proper orbit, the malfunction sent the craft on a collision course with the Moon. Despite search attempts by Roscosmos, the impact site remains undetermined and an interdepartmental commission has been convened to find the exact cause of the mishap.

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