Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked ISRO Chief K Sivan to "be courageous" after it was made clear that scientists have lost contact with Vikram, the lander. PM Modi tried to shed away the gloom after Chandrayaan 2 mission diverted from its path during touchdown. PM urged the ISRO scientists to not lose hope and that the country is proud of what they had achieved.
"This is not a small achievement, what you people have achieved. Be courageous. The nation will once again celebrate with you all", Modi said.
Watching the Vikram lander's final descent live from the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru, PM Modi said, "I am with you all. I saw your faces go down as soon as the connection was lost. Don't lose hope."
In a series of tweets subsequently, Modi said: "India is proud of our scientists! They've given their best and have always made India proud. These are moments to be courageous, and courageous we will be!
"Chairman @isro gave updates on Chandrayaan-2. We remain hopeful and will continue working hard on our space programme."
ISRO chief earlier announced that the Vikram lander's descent went as planned up till 2.1 km from the moon after which the signal was lost with the lander. The data is still being analysed by the ISRO scientists, however, the safe landing can not be confirmed as of now.
ISRO's experts on television said that the reduction in velocity was not of the magnitude that was required for a perfect landing.
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