The Roscosmos space agency said in a statement: "The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the moon," AP reports.
The Luna-25 pilotless spacecraft was headed to the moon's south pole, which scientists believe holds valuable elements. Scientists say that rocks in its shadowed polar craters might hold frozen water that could be transformed into rocket fuel and air, according to the outlet.
The Russian spacecraft was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome on Aug. 10 and was in competition with India to become the first in the world to land a spacecraft on the moon's south pole. India launched a spacecraft on July 14 and both were expected to land on the surface of the moon's south pole between August 21 and 23.
The lunar mission was Russia's first mission since 1976, back when the nation was part of the USSR. Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to make Russia a space superpower by putting an insurmountable effort towards developing its spaceport. The United States, China, and the Soviet Union have been the only governments to have had successful moon landings.
Roscosmos said it wanted to show Russia "is a state capable of delivering a payload to the moon," and "ensure Russia's guaranteed access to the moon’s surface," according to AP.
In 2019, India attempted to land a spacecraft on the lunar south pole but it crashed into the moon's surface. If India's mission is successful, the country will become the first in the world to land on the moon's south pole.
