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Communication lost with Vikram Lander

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India and the world holds its breath as Chandrayaan-2 is about to soft land on the Lunar surface

All communication was lost with Vikram Lander as it approached Lunar Surface. ISRO said in a statement that “#VikramLander descent was as planned and normal performance was observed up to an altitude of 2.1 km. Subsequently, communication from Lander to the ground stations was lost. Data is being analyzed. “

The Prime Minister who was in the audience in Mission Control, wholeheartedly supported scientists and engineers for their efforts and asked them to be courageous.

Then again at 0800 IST in morning he celebrated the Chandrayaan 2 teams for their efforts. He called them patriots and selfless sons of motherland. The team was applauded for their sleepless nights.

India was geared up to create history within hours with Vikram lander of Chandrayaan – 2 well poised to soft land on the moon’s surface between 1:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 7, 2019. However all communication was lost when the lander passed altitude of 2.1Kms from lunar surface.

Chandrayaan – 2 has covered a distance of about 3.844 lakh kms. between Earth and the Moon. The landing will be carried out by at least 8 board equipment in a coordinated manner. The lander Vikram will be landed in a high plain between 2 craters at a latitude of about 70 degrees South of the moon. It has 3 payloads to conduct experiments at surface and subsurface.

Ahead of the historic moment, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) released a video explaining how the landing will take place.

The lander has a Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC), Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC) and Lander Hazardous Detection and Avoidance Camera (LHDAC), to ensure its soft landing on the moon’s surface.

There are two KA Band Altimeter-1 and KA Band Altimeter-2 and a Laser Altimeter (LASA), an instrument used to study the topography of the surface of a planet. LASA will operate through the orbiter revolving around the moon above the Vikram lander. The lander will have five 800N Liquid thruster engines, touchdown sensors, and solar panels. The Vikram lander will later have its 4 engines on switched on at 4 sides.

Post this, the Absolute Navigation Phase, KA Band-1, Laser Altimeter, and Lander Position Detection Camera will be activated to ensure that Vikram lander is positioned in the space just above the moon surface to sit perfectly on the ground. The Lander Position Detection Camera will be turned on and 2 engines will be ignited. After the touchdown, the rover Pragyaan will roll out from the moon lander between 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister of India – Narendra Modi tweeted, “The moment 130 crore Indians were enthusiastically waiting for is here! In a few hours from now, the final descent of Chandrayaan – 2 will take place on the Lunar South Pole. India, and the rest of the world will yet again see the exemplary prowess of our space scientists.”

He had also tweeted, “I am extremely excited to be at the ISRO Centre in Bengaluru to witness the extraordinary moment in the history of India’s space programme. Youngsters from different states will also be present to watch those special moments! There would also be youngsters from Bhutan.”

Talking about watching the live telecast with winners of ISRO quiz, Modi tweeted, “The youngsters with whom I will watch the special moments from the ISRO Centre in Bengaluru are those bright minds who won the ISRO Space Quiz on MyGov. The large-scale participation in this Quiz showcases the interest of the youth in science and space. This is a great sign!”

The PM Modi said he has been regularly tracking the updates of the mission. “I have been regularly and enthusiastically tracking all updates relating to Chandrayaan – 2 since it was launched on 22nd July 2019. This Mission manifests the best of Indian talent and spirit of tenacity. Its success will benefit crores of Indians,” tweeted Modi.

Urging all the Indians to watch the landing, he said, “urge you all to watch the special moments of Chandrayaan – 2 descending on to the Lunar South Pole! Do share your photos on social media. I will re-tweet some of them too.”

Speaking to media, the Chairman of ISRO – K. Sivan said, “We’re going to land at a place where no one else has gone before. We’re confident about the soft landing. We’re waiting for tonight.”

The twitter handle of ISRO has posted a message where the spacecraft’s Lunar Orbiter can be seen extending good wishes to the Lander ahead of the Chandrayan-2 soft landing on the moon.

It read, “It was great travelling with you so far Vikram. Best of luck! I hope you reach the South Pole soon.” To this, Vikram replies, “It was quite the journey indeed! I’ll see you around – in the orbit.”

It is to be noted that Chandrayaan – 2 was launched on July 22, 2019 at 14:43 hours Indian Standard Time (IST), from the Sriharikota island in Andhra Pradesh. The Rs. 978 crores mission will make India the 4th country to soft launch on moon after United States (U.S.), Russia and People’s Republic of China. The mission will focus on the lunar surface, search for water and minerals and will measure moonquakes.

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