Chandrayaan 2: ISRO Has Just 1 Day to Re-Establish Contact With Vikram Lander As It Is Soon Going to Be Night on the Moon

New Delhi, September 20: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) now possibly has just one last chance to establish communication with Vikram Lander as one lunar night (14 Earth Days) will set in at the landing site by Saturday. The probability of establishing contact with the lander has a  deadline of September 21, after which the Moon region will enter into a lunar night. It has been almost two weeks after Vikram Lander lost connection with ISRO's ground station.

For Vikram Lander, 14 days or one lunar day is all that the Vikram lander has to perform its work as this is the only time it will be exposed to the Sun's rays. As the deadline to re-establish communication with Chandrayaan 2's Vikram lander nears, NASA's Moon orbiter on Thursday captured images of the lunar region.  Chandrayaan 2 Moon Landing: Communication With Lander Vikram Lost.

Last Chance for ISRO to Make Contact With Vikram Lander

All efforts are being made by ISRO to establish contact with the lander as it has a deadline of September 21. On this day, the Moon region will enter into a lunar night during which the temperature plunges to nearly -180 degrees Celsius. Therefore, if no connection is established in the next two days, ISRO may have to give up the hope to establish connection with the lander. It has been 10 days since the Vikram lander went silent. ISRO now has just one day to establish communication with lander before the region becomes too cold for the lander to operate.

Vikram and Pragyan Had to be Functional for 14 Days on Moon's Surface

The ISRO said the lander Vikram and rover Pragyan were supposed to be functional only for 14 days from the day of their touchdown. The space agency said the mission life of the lander and the rover will be one lunar day which is equal to 14 Earth days, whereas that of the orbiter will be one Earth year. According to reports, nights on the Moon can be very cold, especially in the south polar region where Vikram is lying. Temperatures could drop to as low as minus 200 degrees Celsius during the lunar night.

In its latest update on September 19, ISRO said that a national level committee consisting of academicians and ISRO experts are analyzing the cause of communication loss with lander. The space agency added that the orbiter continues to perform scheduled science experiments to complete satisfaction. Moreover, all eight devices on the orbiter have been fully turned on, tested and are working well, the space agency said.

Earlier this month, the ISRO had informed that the Vikram lander was located by the orbiter of Chandrayaan-2, and all efforts are being taken to establish communication with it. The ISRO said all possible efforts are being made to establish communication with lander.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 20, 2019 12:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).