Russia´s moon mission failed due to control unit malfunction

Russia said that a malfunctioning onboard control unit led to the crash of its lunar lander into the moon in August, reported Xinhua.

On Tuesday, the state space corporation, Roscosmos, said the control unit failed to turn off the propulsion system, which blasted for one and a half times longer than necessary as the craft hurtled towards the moon.

Yuri Borisov, Roscosmos chief, told the media that an investigation commission had completed its work and was preparing a report to the government.

"Moreover, we are considering the possibility of moving forward the Luna-26 and Luna-27 missions to get the results we need as quickly as possible," he said, stressing the determination to move ahead with the moon exploration program.

In August, Russia's Luna-25 module crashed into the moon after it went into an unplanned orbit, according to Roscosmos.