New Delhi, September 7: Chandrayaan 2, India's most ambitious mission to the space till date, has fall short to reach its intended target. But the mission is far from a failure, explained scientists from India and across the world. 95 per cent of the mission is successful, said a scientist of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) who was deeply involved with the execution. The mission life is not over as the orbiter will continue to capture images of the moon and send it to the server. Chandrayaan 2 Heartbreak: PM Modi, Nation Backs Indian Scientists; Here's List of ISRO's Most Notable Achievements.

As per the ISRO plan, the rover 'Pragyan' was to separate from the lander 'Vikram' and descend towards the designated landing spot located close to the moon's south pole. The location is expected to hold definite evidence of the presence of fresh water sources on the celestial body.

Even though the fate and the status of Vikram India's moon lander is not known - whether it crash-landed or the communication link got cut - all is not lost as far as the Rs 978 crore Chandrayaan-2 mission is concerned, an ISRO official said on Saturday.

"Only 5 per cent of the mission has been lost - Vikram the lander and Pragyan the rover - while the remaining 95 per cent - that is the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter - is orbiting the moon successfully," an official of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), 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. The Orbiter can also take pictures of the lander to know its status, the space agency official said.

Govt of India Explains Why Chandrayaan 2 Is Not a Failure:

The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft comprised three segments - the Orbiter (weighing 2,379 kg, eight payloads), 'Vikram' (1,471 kg, four payloads) and 'Pragyan' (27 kg, two payloads).

On July 22, the Rs 978 crore Chandrayaan-2 was launched into the space by India's heavy lift rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV Mk III) in a textbook style.

After five earth-bound orbit raising activities, Chandrayaan-2 was inserted into lunar orbit. In a last stage snag, the communication link between the moon lander and the orbiter got snapped as the former was descending towards the moon's south pole early on Saturday, throwing suspense over the mission's fate.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the ISRO scientists earlier in the day, said the entire nation is indebted to them irrespective of the final result of Chandrayaan 2 mission. "You are exceptional professionals who have made an incredible contribution to national progress. We are proud of our scientists who gave their best to make our country proud," he said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 07, 2019 12:50 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).