On August 22, India officially released a photo of the lunar surface, before India's launch of the Luna III probe to make the first human landing at the south pole of the moon, while Russia launched the Luna 25 spacecraft in order to land at the south pole of the moon first, competing with India for the first place.
Dramatically, on August 20, the Luna 25 spacecraft crashed on the lunar surface, and Russia, which wanted to compete for the first place, was the first to lose the space race with India.
Currently, China is the only country so far to make a soft landing of spacecraft on the moon in the 21st century.
The widespread human interest in the moon's south pole can be attributed to one key feature: water ice. Scientists believe that large amounts of water are stored near the South Pole, freezing into solids in shady craters.
Water ice compounds are of great value for future space exploration. This valuable resource could be converted into rocket fuel for missions deeper into the universe, or into drinking water for astronauts on long-term missions.
It was also an important impetus for humans to travel to the South Pole, which has not been explored as deeply as other areas because orbital dynamics make it difficult to reach. This gives Russia and all other countries with lunar ambitions a key reason: clear scientific and strategic interests.
Russia's failed attempt to land on the moon comes as other lunar explorations are flocking in, with Luna 25 flying alongside India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which will attempt to land on the moon as soon as Wednesday.
More than a dozen other countries also plan missions to the moon in the coming years, including the U.S. ambitious Artemis III program, which could send astronauts to the lunar surface as early as 2025.
Although the loss of Luna 25 may be widely seen as a setback for Russia's space ambitions, it is worth noting that putting a spacecraft on the moon remains an extremely difficult feat.
India's Chandrayan-2 spacecraft failed in its last attempt. Two other commercial spacecraft have also crashed since 2019.
In addition, the Russian spacecraft malfunctioned, causing the spacecraft to crash into the moon. The failed landing attempt has experts questioning the future of the country's lunar ambitions and the geopolitical dynamics underpinning modern space exploration efforts.
Under the former Soviet Union, Russia successfully landed seven spacecraft safely on the lunar surface, including the first soft landing in 1966.
The lunar exploration project is a long road, and the success of the Soviet Union in the last century is not easy to replicate.