'ISRO needs to explore fate of Vikram Lander', say US experts

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) needs to explore the fate of Vikram, the Lander, to determine if it is going to be able to communicate again. According to US experts, the ISRO scientists have not given up. Hence, it is up to the scientists to find out if the Lander will be able to establish contact or restore its link with the orbiter. Though the Indian Space Agency has set up a committee of experts to figure out what went wrong with the lunar mission, it is yet to confirm its fate on the lunar surface near the South Pole in hostile conditions.

READ: Chandrayaan 2: NASA Says Vikram Lander May Be Hiding In Shadows

Losing contact with the Lander, Vikram 

The National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) had earlier posted images of its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA, in a statement, said that it was unable to locate Vikram. Devereaux, principal engineer for the Mars 2020 lead flight segment had earlier stated that ISRO needs to evaluate the data they got from the Lander, till the moment the communication stopped. ISRO lost contact with Vikram, the Lander while it was descending and was just 2.1 km above the lunar service.

READ: Chandrayaan 2 Orbiter In Good Shape, K Sivan Gives An Update

India's lunar mission

Chandrayaan-2 Lander, Vikram was to attempt a soft landing at the south pole of the moon. The lunar mission was aimed at soft-landing on the surface which would have made India the fourth country to do so. As the Lander, Vikram was about to touch the moon, ISRO's Deep Space Antenna lost communication with it. The lander had descended from 30km to 2km smoothly, as informed by ISRO. During the final stage, it had unfortunately lost communication with Mission Control.

READ: Chandrayaan-2: ISRO Chief K Sivan Says '98% Objectives Achieved'

READ: 'Vikram Lander Spotted On Lunar Surface By Orbiter': ISRO To ANI