The entire space-watching community across the globe was anxiously awaiting the Chandrayaan-2 mission lander, Vikram, and rover, Pragyan’s soft-landing on the Moon.
However, destiny had other ideas for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission, with the lander’s communications with the ground centre going dark just two kms from the anticipated landing area.
But ISRO is eager to look at the bright side for now, especially with the Chandrayaan-2 still orbiting the Moon, and healthy enough to sustain its mission over the next 12 months, potentially sending back images of the lunar surface for further scientific study.
The orbiter is healthy, intact, and functioning normally and safely in lunar orbit, an ISRO official told PTI on Saturday morning, 7 September. The orbiter payloads will be conducting remote-sensing observations from a 100-km orbit.
"Only 5 percent of the mission has been lost – Vikram the lander and Pragyan the rover – while the remaining 95 percent, that is the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, is orbiting the Moon successfully," an ISRO official who did not want to be identified told IANS.
With a mission life of one year, the orbiter can take several pictures of the Moon and send it to the ISRO. It can also take pictures of the lander to know its status, he added.
The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft comprised of three segments – the orbiter (weighing 2,379 kg, eight payloads), Vikram (lander, 1,471 kg, four payloads) and Pragyan (rover, 27 kg, two payloads).
On 22 July, the Rs 978-crore Chandrayaan-2 was launched into space by India's heavy lift rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV Mk III) – it was a textbook launch.
But in the wee hours of 7 September, communication from Vikram to ground stations was lost during its powered descent to the lunar surface. ISRO Chairman K Sivan could only confirm that “data is being analysed.”
(With inputs from IANS and PTI)
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