Russia Gets Bad News on Space Program As US Sends Artemis 2 To Moon
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Russia Delays Lunar Missions
Is Russia still a serious space power or is Roscosmos a dying program propped up by propaganda?
Above: The Soyuz MS-28 crew at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Moscow, Russia, on Nov. 25, 2025. Image credit: Roscosmos/Anadolu/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
Russia's space program is far from dead — it's stabilized and rebuilt military space capabilities over the past decade, maintaining roughly the same share of space power it held in 2007. Luna-25's failure is one data point, not a trend, and Russia's active testing, rendezvous operations and cyber capabilities prove it remains a serious space power. Dismissing Russia based on one crashed lander is dangerously naive.
Anti-Russia narrative
Luna-25 crashed because Russia reportedly added a bloated, unreliable "import-substituted" control unit onto it — seven times heavier than the original and it failed at the worst moment. Every deep space probe Russia has launched since 1991 has failed or been shelved, and corruption gutted Roscosmos from the inside. This isn't a stumble; it's a dying program propped up by propaganda.
Metaculus Prediction
There is a 30% chance that Mars will have a permanent population of 10,000 before the Moon does, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Go Deeper
Establishment split
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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0
© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.18.0