‘Thank you for standing by us’: ISRO to all Indians after it lost contact with Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander

‘Thank you for standing by us’: ISRO to all Indians after it lost contact with Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander

PTIUpdated: Wednesday, September 18, 2019, 07:25 AM IST
article-image
(PIB/PTI Photo)

Bengaluru: ISRO on Tuesday thanked Indians in the country and abroad for the support it received after the space agency lost contact with the lander of the country's second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2, minutes before touchdown on the lunar surface on September 7

"Thank you for standing by us. We will continue to keep going forward propelled by the hopes and dreams of Indians across the world!" ISRO tweeted. "Thank you for inspiring us to always aim for the sky," the Indian Space Research Organisation said. The space agency had got support from the entire nation, despite it losing communication with the lander ahead of the touchdown, with people from all walks of life praising ISRO and its scientists for the achievement.

Prime Minister Modi, who had flown down to Bengaluru to watch the planned touchdown of Vikram, had told ISRO scientists not to get dejected and disheartened and said the country was proud of them. "I see disappointment on your faces. No need to get dejected. We have learnt a lot," Modi had said. "These are moments to be courageous, and courageous we will be! We remain hopeful and will continue working hard on our space programme", he had said.

Lander Vikram, with rover Pragyan housed inside it, lost communication with ground-stations early on September 7 during its final descent, just 2.1 kms above the lunar surface, minutes before the planned touch-down on the Moon. Efforts to reestablish the link has been going on since then. On September 8, ISRO said the lander was spotted on the lunar surface by camera on-board of the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter. Vikram had a hard-landing.

The lander, designed to execute a soft-landing on the lunar surface, and rover have a mission life of one Lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 earth days. The space agency after losing contact with the lander had said that till date, 90 to 95 per cent of the Chandrayaan-2 mission objectives have been accomplished and it would continue contribute to Lunar science, notwithstanding the loss of communication with the Lander. It had also noted that the precise launch and mission management has ensured a long life of almost 7 years instead of the planned one year for the orbiter.

RECENT STORIES

Gujarat: NDPS Court Imposes 2 Lakh Fine On Sacked IPS Officer Sanjiv Bhatt In Drug Planting Case

Gujarat: NDPS Court Imposes 2 Lakh Fine On Sacked IPS Officer Sanjiv Bhatt In Drug Planting Case

Who Was Mukhtar Ansari? Know About The Gangster-Turned-Politician Who Died Due To Heart Attack In...

Who Was Mukhtar Ansari? Know About The Gangster-Turned-Politician Who Died Due To Heart Attack In...

WB Shocker: CISF Constable Shoots Himself Inside Kolkata Airport; Suicide Suspected

WB Shocker: CISF Constable Shoots Himself Inside Kolkata Airport; Suicide Suspected

BREAKING: Jailed Gangster-Turned-Politician Mukhtar Ansari Dies Of Heart Attack, Was Brought To...

BREAKING: Jailed Gangster-Turned-Politician Mukhtar Ansari Dies Of Heart Attack, Was Brought To...

Mukhtar Ansari's Health Deteriorates, Taken To Banda Hospital, Security Tightened (VIDEO)

Mukhtar Ansari's Health Deteriorates, Taken To Banda Hospital, Security Tightened (VIDEO)