Science News Roundup: Axiom Space raises $350 million in round led by Saudi, Korean investors; Key facts about India's Chandrayaan-3 moon mission and more

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.

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.

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.

India's boom, Russia's crunch: how money is shaping a new space race

The space race India aims to win this week by landing first on the moon's south pole is about science, the politics of national prestige and a new frontier: money. India's Chandrayaan-3 is heading for a landing on the lunar south pole on Wednesday. If it succeeds, analysts and executives expect an immediate boost for the South Asian nation's nascent space industry.

Explainer-Why North Korea's satellite launches are so controversial

North Korea appears to be preparing for its second attempt at launching a reconnaissance satellite this year, a move that may prove as controversial as the nuclear-armed country's weapons tests. A May 31 attempt - North Korea's first such launch since 2016 - ended in fiery failure when its new Chollima-1 rocket crashed into the sea.

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.

Explainer-Why are space agencies racing to the moon's south pole?

India's space agency is attempting to land a spacecraft on the moon's south pole, a mission that could advance India's space ambitions and expand knowledge of lunar water ice, potentially one of the moon's most valuable resources. Here's what's known about the presence of frozen water on the moon - and why space agencies and private companies see it as a key to a moon colony, lunar mining and potential missions to Mars.

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.