Chandrayaan 2 : ISRO finds location of Vikram Lander on lunar surface
In a big breakthrough, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday found the location of Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram Lander, which had lost contact with the space agency 2.1 km away from the Moon’s surface.
ISRO chief K. Sivan, however, said that the communication with the Lander is yet to be established.
"We've found the location of Vikram Lander on lunar surface and orbiter has clicked a thermal image of Lander. But there is no communication yet. We are trying to have contact. It will be communicated soon," News agency ANI quoted ISRO chief K. Sivan as saying.
He also maintained that it will be "premature to say anything."
"We do not know if the Vikram module was damaged during the hard-landing on the Lunar surface," News agency PTI quoted ISRO chief as saying.
Chandrayaan-2 comprised of three parts – the Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan). In the last stage snag, the communication link between the moon lander Vikram and the moon orbiter was snapped as the former was descending towards the moon's South Pole early on Saturday.
The Vikram lander was scheduled to make soft landing on the lunar surface on Saturday at 1:55 am. It lost communication after deviated from its planned trajectory.
The Vikram Moon Lander is named after the father of India's space mission Vikram Sarabhai on his birth centenary year.
Chandrayaan 2 began its journey on July 22 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The Rs. 1,000-crore moon mission, was expected to help India make space history by making the country only the fourth - after the United States, Russia and China - to achieve the feat.
ALSO READ | Chandrayaan 2: Best is yet to come; PM Modi's emotional reassurance to ISRO
ALSO READ | Space is hard, you've inspired us with your journey: NASA tells ISRO after Chandrayaan-2
ALSO READ | Twitter reacts to PM Modi's emotional moment with ISRO chief
