Only 3 Days Left To Attempt Re-Connecting With Vikram Lander
On 21 September, it would be 14 days since ISRO lost contact with Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram Lander.
In three days, it’s going to be night on the Moon at the area where Chandrayaan-2 Mission’s Vikram Lander lies incommunicado. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been trying to re-establish contact with its Moon mission lander, since 7 September.
ISRO looks like it has given up hope, having tweeted a picture on 17 September thanking everyone for inspiring them to aim for the sky.
Vikram Lander, one of the key components of the Chandrayaan-2 mission lost contact with ISRO when it was just 2.1 Km above the surface of the moon, after having successfully detached from the orbitor a few days earlier. Scientists at ISRO weren’t sure if it had landed or had crashed.
However, on 8 September, a thermal image clicked by the orbitor from 100 Km above the surface showed it had landed, but was tilted and non-responsive. The Lander also contains a rover, Pragyan, which was to conduct experiments on the lunar surface for one lunar day or 14 Earth days.
American space organisation, NASA, has been assisting ISRO in trying to reconnect with the lander. Its lunar probe is attempting to get a clearer picture of the lander as well. The deep-space network of antennae on Earth have also been trying to track Chandrayaan-2.
ISRO’s mission to the moon with Chandrayaan-2 has fascinated many the world over. Recently, Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, in a conversation with astronaut Nick Hague aboard the International Space Station also enquired on whether the astronaut followed the moon landing.
While losing contact with the lander is a setback for ISRO, the orbitor has been given a new lease of life with ISRO announcing it has a lifespan of up to 7 years. Initially, the orbitor’s mission was to be for about a year.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)