Chandrayaan 2: NASA releases pictures of Vikram's landing site

Days after Indian Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman, K Sivan said that  Chandrayaan-2 mission achieved 98% of its objectives, NASA on Friday released pictures of landing site of Chandrayaan 2. Releasing first set of pictures, NASA said that team was unable to locate Vikram lander and will try again in October. NASA statement also said that Vikram lander may be hiding in shadows. "It was dusk when landing area was imd and thus, large shadows covered much of terrain. It is possible that Vikram lander is hiding in a shadow. lighting will be favourable when LRO passes over site in October and once again attempts to locate and im lander," NASA said. 

READ: Chandrayaan 2: NASA says Vikram lander may be hiding in shadows

Here are pictures captured by NASA:  

READ: Chandrayaan 2 | 'Vikram must have done a hard-landing': ISRO to PTI

scene was captured from a Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera Quickmap fly-around of targeted landing site im width is about 150 kilometres across centre. LRO passed over landing site on September 17. It acquired a set of high-resolution ims of area; so far LROC team has t been able to locate or im lander. LRO will next fly over landing site on October 14 when lighting conditions will be more favourable, John Keller, Deputy Project Scientist Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission, Goddard Flight Centre, told PTI via email.

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India's moon mission: Chandrayaan 2

Chandrayaan 2 is India's moon mission with which it attempted to land-soft at south pole of moon. As Vikram lander of Chandrayaan 2 was about to touchdown lunar surface, in morning at 1:50 AM, ISRO's Deep Antenna lost communication with Chandrayaan-2's lander- Vikram. lander had descended from 30km to 2km smoothly, informed ISRO. During final smooth braking st, it had lost communication with Mission Control. Vikram was aimed at soft-landing on moon, making India fourth country to do so.   

READ: Chandrayaan 2 orbiter in good shape, K Sivan gives an update