Chandrayaan 2: Best is yet to come; PM Modi's emotional reassurance to ISRO
The lander, Vikram - named after the India's space pioneer Vikram Sarabhai - was supposed to land on the moon's surface at 1:55 am following what ISRO had described as "15 minutes of terror".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed the nation on the backdrop of Chandrayaan-2’s lander ‘Vikram’ losing contact with ground stations.
Soon after all ground communication was lost with Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander, PM Modi said the nation is proud of the scientists who have given their best.
While the mission has been mostly successful, Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander lost communication with ground stations during its final descent. Vikram's descent was planned and normal performance was observed up to an altitude of 2.1 km.
In a tweet, Isro said, "Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will address the nation from Isro Control Centre today (September 07, 2019) at 0800 hrs IST."
Minutes after ISRO Chairman K Sivan briefed the prime minister on the status of Vikram lander, Modi was seen consoling the ISRO scientists. He expressed solidarity with ISRO scientists after Chandrayaan-2's Vikram module lost communication with the ground station during the powered descent.
Subsequently, communication from Vikram Lander to the ground stations was lost, Isro said, adding that data was being analysed.
Modi was at the Mission Operations Complex of ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) to watch the planned soft-landing of Vikram on the Lunar surface.
The mission started from July 22 with the launch of the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft achieved one milestone after another in a phased manner.
Here are the Live Updates on Chandrayaan-2:
8:28 am | Our determination to touch moon has become even stronger
"The learnings from today will make us stronger and better; there will be a new dawn. The best is yet to come in our space programme; India is with you. Countless people have got access to a better life due to the hard work of our space scientists. Our determination to touch moon has become even stronger, we came very close but we need to cover more ground."
8:26 am | There will be a new dawn and a brighter tomorrow very soon. There is no failure in science, only experiment and efforts
8:23 am | The effort was worth it and so was the journey
"Today I can proudly say that the effort was worth it and so was the journey. Our team worked hard, traveled far and these very teachings will remain with us. The learning from today will make us stronger and better," The Prime Minister said.
8:20 am | We have faced moments that may have slowed us but they have never crushed our spirit
"In our illustrious history, we have faced moments that may have slowed us but they have never crushed our spirit. We have bounced back again and gone on to do spectacular things.This is the reason why our civilization stands tall," Modi said.
8:18 am | You are exceptional professionals who have made an incredible contribution to national progress
"We will rise to the occasion and reach even newer heights of success. To our scientists I want to say- India is with you. You are exceptional professionals who have made an incredible contribution to national progress."
8:15 am | Today our resolve to touch the moon has grown even stronger
"For last few hours the entire nation was worried. Everyone stands in solidarity with our scientists. We are proud of our space program. Today our resolve to touch the moon has grown even stronger," PM Modi said.
8:12 am | PM Modi told the scientists to not lose heart and that it is not a small achievement and "the country is proud of you".
8: 05 am | You live for India's honour, I salute you
Friends I could feel what you were going through few hours back, your eyes were conveying a lot. You live for India's honour, I salute you.
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