Russia's Luna-25 mission experienced a regrettable outcome as it crashed onto the lunar surface, marking a disappointing conclusion to Russia's initial lunar landing endeavor in 47 years since the former Soviet Union's last successful landing. In a simultaneous effort, India's Chandrayaan-3, which was launched on July 14, is poised to make a significant attempt at a landing in the south pole region of the Moon. The anticipated time for its powered descent to commence is 5:45 pm IST on August 23. As things stand, Chandrayaan-3 is on track to achieve a historic milestone by potentially becoming the first spacecraft to execute a successful landing in the vicinity of the lunar south pole.

On August 19, Roscosmos announced the loss of communication with Luna-25 following the spacecraft's encounter with challenges that led to an "abnormal situation" being reported.

“The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon.” - A statement from the agency

This lunar mission marked Russia's return to lunar exploration after a hiatus since 1976, during its time as part of the Soviet Union. Notably, only three governments – the Soviet Union, the United States, and China – have achieved the feat of accomplishing successful moon landings.