Science News Roundup: India closes in on moon landing as Russia also races to lunar south pole; Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch, space agency says and more

The Russian spacecraft is scheduled to land on the south pole of the moon on Monday, part of a big power race to explore a part of the moon which scientists think may hold frozen water and precious elements. US warns space companies about foreign spying U.S. counterintelligence agencies on Friday warned the American space industry to guard against efforts by foreign intelligence entities to steal research and trade secrets as they try to boost their own countries' space programs.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

India closes in on moon landing as Russia also races to lunar south pole

India's space agency on Friday released images of the moon taken from its Chandrayaan-3 space craft as it approaches the lunar south pole, a previously unexplored region thought to contain water ice where Russia is trying to land first. The video, taken on Thursday just after the separation of the rocket's lander from the propulsion module, showed a close-up of craters as earth's only natural satellite spun round.

Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch, space agency says

An "abnormal situation" occurred at Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft on Saturday as it was preparing to transfer to its pre-landing orbit, Russia's national space agency Roskosmos said. The Russian spacecraft is scheduled to land on the south pole of the moon on Monday, part of a big power race to explore a part of the moon which scientists think may hold frozen water and precious elements.

US warns space companies about foreign spying

U.S. counterintelligence agencies on Friday warned the American space industry to guard against efforts by foreign intelligence entities to steal research and trade secrets as they try to boost their own countries' space programs. "We anticipate growing threats to this burgeoning sector of the U.S. economy," a U.S. counterintelligence official told Reuters, adding that "China and Russia are among the leading foreign intelligence threats to the U.S. space industry."

Russian spacecraft adjusts moon orbit in preparation for landing

Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft adjusted its orbit on Friday as it prepared to attempt the first landing near the south pole of the moon, space agency Roscosmos said. "Today at 09:20 Moscow time (0620 GMT), the propulsion system of the automatic station performed an orbit correction lasting 40 seconds. Its goal is to provide the best conditions for the subsequent construction of a pre-landing orbit," Roscosmos said in a statement.