Chandrayaan 2: ISRO's Last Hope to Establish Contact With Vikram Lander Ends Tomorrow
The ISRO has last two days to establish contact with Vikram lander which is lying on the Moon surface after having lost contact with the Indian space agency during the ambitious Chandrayaan 2 mission.
New Delhi, September 19: The Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO has last two days to establish contact with Vikram lander which is lying on the Moon surface after having lost contact with the Indian space agency during the ambitious Chandrayaan 2 mission. The period of 14 Earth days or sunny days in the south pole region of the Moon where Vikram lander made "hard landing" will get over on Friday. Chandrayaan 2 Shares First Picture of Moon: ISRO Tweets the Image Captured by Vikram Lander.
The 14 Earth nights will start in the south pole region of Moon from Saturday onward which will result in freezing temperature. Under the extreme temperature, Vikram lander is unlikely to operate. The freezing temperature can also damage Pragyan rover housed within the lander. Moreover, ISRO won't be able to energise the lander with solar energy. The space agency has been making all efforts to establish communication with the lander.
Vikram lander went silent after making a "hard landing" in the wee hours of September 7. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) also sent radio frequency to Vikram lander and has been trying to take its pictures with its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). However, no positive response has been received so far. ISRO has remained tightlipped about the likely cause of the breakdown.
On September 7, ISRO lost communication with Vikram lander. Since then, there has been no official communication from ISRO what went right or wrong during Chandrayaan 2 mission. On Wednesday, ISRO expressed gratitude to Indians in the country and abroad for the support it received for Chandrayaan 2 mission. "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 on September 17.
"Thank you for inspiring us to always aim for the sky," ISRO said. The heavy-lift rocket GSLV MkIII-M1, nicknamed 'Baahubali' successfully put Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft into Earth's orbit on July 22. The spacecraft was initially scheduled to be launched on July 15. However, the flight was postponed after a technical snag was detected an hour before the rocket lift-off. The issue was later rectified by the ISRO. Chandrayaan 2 entered Moon's orbit on August 2.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 19, 2019 08:35 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).