Russia’s Luna-25 spacecraft crashes into the moon, ending its bid to reach the lunar south pole

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Roscosmos space agency says the Luna-25 spacecraft has crashed into the moon after it spun into an uncontrolled orbit, bringing a premature end to the country’s first lunar mission since 1976. The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements. It was expected to land Monday. However, Roscosmos said it lost contact with the Luna-25 on Saturday after the spacecraft ran into difficulties and reported an “abnormal situation.” The Luna-25 was in a race with an Indian spacecraft to be the first to reach the south pole.