Russia’s Luna-25 Spacecraft Enters Lunar Orbit: Space Agency

A Soyuz-2.1b rocket booster with a Fregat upper stage and the lunar landing spacecraft Luna-25 blasts off from a launchpad at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, on Aug. 11, 2023. Roscosmos/Vostochny Space Centre/Reuters

MOSCOW—Russia’s lunar spacecraft entered the moon’s orbit on Wednesday, a major step towards the country’s ambition of being the first to land on the moon’s south pole in the search for frozen water.

The Luna-25 entered the moon’s orbit at 11:57 a.m. (0857 GMT,) Russia’s space corporate Roskosmos said.