Chandrayaan 2: No Communication With Vikram Lander, Orbiter Doing Well, Next Priority Gaganyaan Mission, Says ISRO Chief K Sivan
IISRO Chief K Sivan informed that Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is doing very well and all the instruments are doing what they are meant to do. "There are 8 instruments in the orbiter & each instrument is doing exactly what it meant to do. Regarding the lander, we have not been able to establish communication with it. Our next priority is Gaganyaan mission", Sivan said.
New Delhi, September 21: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday informed that it has not been able to re-establish communication with the Vikram Lander, which lost contact with the ground station while descending on the surface of Moon earlier this month. Giving a detailed update about the Chandrayaan 2 mission, ISRO Chief K Sivan informed that the Orbiter is doing very well and all its instruments are intact and performing their desired work. "There are 8 instruments in the orbiter & each instrument is doing exactly what it meant to do. Regarding the lander, we have not been able to establish communication with it. Our next priority is Gaganyaan mission", Sivan said. Chandrayaan 2 Moon Landing: Communication With Lander Vikram Lost.
India's second mission to the moon- Chandrayaan-2 had suffered a major setback when Vikram Lander lost communication with ground stations while attempting do a soft-landing on the Moon’s surface on September 7. The hopes of re-establishing contact with the lander faded as its 14-day mission life ended after which the Moon region will enter into a lunar night. On this day, the Moon region will enter into a lunar night during which the temperature plunges to nearly -180 degrees Celsius, which is too cold for the lander to operate. Vikram and Pragyan Had to be Functional for 14 Days on Moon's Surface.
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The ISRO has been making consistent efforts to establish contact with the lander ever since it lost contact with the ground station earlier this month. The lander, designed to execute a soft-landing on the lunar surface, and rover have a mission life of one Lunar day, which is equivalent to 14 earth days that ends Saturday.
Lander Vikram, with rover Pragyan housed inside it, lost communication with the ground station on September 7 during its final descent, just 2. 1 kms above the lunar surface, minutes before the planned touch-down on the Moon.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 21, 2019 10:54 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).