Phobos-Ground probe, which was supposed to have landed on a Martian moon, got stuck in Earth's orbit

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

A Russian spacecraft bound for Mars but stuck in Earth's orbit will crash next month, the Russian space agency said on Friday.

The $170m (£109m) Phobos-Ground probe was to have landed on the Martian moon Phobos and brought soil samples back to Earth in a 2½-year mission. Roscosmos said the 13.2-tonne craft – including 11 tonnes of highly toxic fuel – would fall back to Earth between 6 and 19 January. But only 20 to 30 fragments weighing a total of up to 200kg (440lb) will survive the fiery plunge and shower the Earth's surface. Where they will land could only be calculated a few days beforehand, Roscosmos said in a statement.

The fuel and radioactive material on board will pose no danger of contamination, the agency said.

Roscosmos lost contact with the probe following its launch on 9 November, but had not admitted the craft was lost until now.

Engineers in Russia and at the European Space Agency have tried to propel it away from Earth's orbit.

Experts had warned that if the fuel froze, some could survive re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and pose a serious threat if it fell over populated areas.

But Roscosmos said it was sure that all fuel would burn on re-entry some 60 miles up. The 10kg of cobalt-57, a radioactive metal in one of the craft's instruments, posed no threat of contamination.

The mission was the latest in a series of recent Russian launch failures that have raised concerns about the condition of the country's space industries.