Science News Roundup: Moon landing anticipation builds for India after Russia's crash; Key facts about India's Chandrayaan-3 moon mission and more

India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is on course to land on Aug. 23 on the lunar south pole, a region where shadowed craters are thought to contain water ice which could support a future moon settlement. Russia's first lunar mission in 47 years smashes into the moon in failure Russia's first moon mission in 47 years failed when its Luna-25 space craft spun out of control and crashed into the moon after a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space programme.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Axiom Space raises $350 million in round led by Saudi, Korean investors

Axiom Space has raised $350 million in a funding round led by Saudi Arabia's Aljazira Capital and Korean healthcare firm Boryung as the startup works with NASA to develop a private space station. The company declined to disclose its valuation on Monday. Axiom said the round took its total raise so far to $505 million and made it the space startup to receive the second-most funding in 2023, only behind Elon Musk's SpaceX.

Factbox-Russia's Luna-25 moon mission fails: what you need to know

Russia's first moonshot in nearly half a century has failed after its Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control and smashed into the moon. Following are details about the mission and what its failure is likely to mean.

Race for moon resources has begun, says Russia's space chief after failed lunar mission

The race to explore and develop the moon's resources has begun and Russia must remain a player despite the failure of its first lunar mission in 47 years, the head of Russia's space agency Roskosmos said on Monday. Russia's Luna-25 space craft spun out of control and crashed into the moon on Saturday after a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space programme.

India says spacecraft heading to moon working 'perfectly'

All systems on an Indian spacecraft heading to the moon are working "perfectly" and no contingencies are anticipated on the landing day, the country's space agency said on Monday, days after the failure of a Russian lander. India's Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is on course to land on Aug. 23 on the lunar south pole, a region where shadowed craters are thought to contain water ice which could support a future moon settlement.

Russia's first lunar mission in 47 years smashes into the moon in failure

Russia's first moon mission in 47 years failed when its Luna-25 space craft spun out of control and crashed into the moon after a problem preparing for pre-landing orbit, underscoring the post-Soviet decline of a once mighty space programme. Russia's state space corporation, Roskosmos, said it had lost contact with the craft at 11:57 GMT on Saturday after a problem as the craft was shunted into pre-landing orbit. A soft landing had been planned for Monday.

Moon landing anticipation builds for India after Russia's crash

India's space agency on Monday released images its spacecraft took of the far side of the moon as it headed for an attempted landing on the lunar south pole, just days after the failure of a Russian lander. The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft had been in a race with Russia to be the first to land on the lunar south pole, a region whose shadowed craters are thought to contain water ice that could support a future moon settlement.

Factbox-Key facts about India's Chandrayaan-3 moon mission

India's space agency is closing in on an attempt to land a spacecraft on the moon's south pole, a mission with implications for the country's standing as a space power and for future lunar exploration. The Chandrayaan-3 mission was launched on July 14 from India's main space port in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.

(With inputs from agencies.)