Communication with Vikram lander was lost at  2.1 km from Lunar surface, ISRO Chairman K Sivan announced on Saturday. "Vikram lander descend was normal and as planned till 2.1 km. Subsequently, communication was lost. Data is being analyzed," K Sivan said at the ISRO Monitoring Center in Bengaluru.

The Vikram lander was planned to land on the far side of the moon between 1:30 am to 2:30 am on the intervening night of Friday-Saturday. This would have been followed by rover (Pragyan) roll-out between 5:30 am to 6:30 am. The Vikram Lander successfully separated from Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter on September 2. The Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter continues to orbit the Moon in its existing orbit.

ISRO mission Chandrayaan 2 and future plans of space exploration

ISRO Chief shares an update

As per the timeline, released by ISRO earlier the lander Vikram was to land at 1:53 am and the rover Pragyan was scheduled to roll down a ramp at 5:19 am, however, the communication with the lander was lost. 

Here's what ISRO Chief K. Sivan had to say - 

Chandrayaan 2 | ‘Be courageous’: PM Narendra Modi to ISRO scientists

Narendra Modi motivates the scientists

Following the announcement, ISRO Chief K Sivan briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the status of Vikram Lander on the south pole of the Moon. The PM then lauded the efforts of the scientists involved in the mission and asked them to be courageous. The Prime Minister also said that they have done a great favour to the field of science and the nation.

The Prime Minister also tweeted that  “India is proud of our scientists! They’ve given their best and have always made India proud. These are moments to be courageous, and courageous we will be!”

Vikram Lander was Chandrayaan 2's lander that was supposed to land on the moon at 1:53 am on Saturday.Chandrayaan-2 is the second lunar exploration mission developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), after Chandrayaan-1. The mission was launched to the Moon from the second launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre on 22 July 2019 at 2.43 PM IST. The mission was launched via  Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III and consists of an orbiter, a lander, and a lunar rover named 'Pragyan', all of which were developed in India.