Luna-25, which is Russia's first lunar lander in nearly 50 years, was due to enter the orbit yesterday, but the manoeuver failed due to a glitch, the Russian space corporation Roscosmos said in a statement.  Roscosmos is analysing the situation, it said, without giving further details.

Russia launched the craft last week. It is scheduled to land on the moon's south pole on the 21st of August, said Roscosmos earlier. It is not immediately clear if the plan still stands. Meanwhile, India's moon mission Chandrayaan-3 has successfully reduced the orbit of the Lander Module (LM), further bringing it nearer to the moon. The LM will likely attempt a landing near the moon's south pole on the 23rd of August.