Chandrayaan 2: Vikram lander isn't broken, it lays tilted on Moon's surface
Chandrayaan 2 lander Vikram is not broken and had a hard-landing very close to the planned landing site as per the images sent by the on-board camera of the orbiter, informed an ISRO official
- Sep 9, 2019,
- Updated Sep 9, 2019 3:58 PM IST
Chandrayaan-2's lander Vikram has been found on the Moon's surface and efforts are being made to re-establish communication with the module. Although the lander is intact, it is currently in a tilted position, ISRO officials stated on Monday.
"It had a hard-landing very close to the planned (touch-down) site as per the images sent by the on-board camera of the orbiter. The lander is there as a single piece, not broken into pieces. It's in a tilted position," an ISRO official associated with Chandrayaan 2 claimed on Monday.
The Indian Space Research Organisation had lost contact with lander Vikram on September 7 as it was 2.1 km above the lunar surface, trying to soft-land on the unexplored South Pole of the Moon. The module is carrying rover Pragyan and three scientific instruments, meant to study the soil composition, atmosphere, seismic activity and other aspects of the environment around the landing site.
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Another senior ISRO official told the news agency that the chances of restoring contact with Vikram lander are good, but there are limitations to it. The official said that generating power is not an issue for the lander, as it has "solar panels all around it" and it also has "internal batteries" which have not been used much.
"We have experience of recovering spacecraft (which had lost contact) in geostationary orbit. But here (in the case of Vikram), that kind of operational flexibility is not there. Already it's lying on the surface of the Moon, and we cannot reorient it. Vital thing is antennas will have to pointed towards the ground station or the orbiter. Such operation in extremely difficult. At the same time, chances are good and we will have to keep our fingers crossed," the official said.
(With PTI inputs)
Chandrayaan-2's lander Vikram has been found on the Moon's surface and efforts are being made to re-establish communication with the module. Although the lander is intact, it is currently in a tilted position, ISRO officials stated on Monday.
"It had a hard-landing very close to the planned (touch-down) site as per the images sent by the on-board camera of the orbiter. The lander is there as a single piece, not broken into pieces. It's in a tilted position," an ISRO official associated with Chandrayaan 2 claimed on Monday.
The Indian Space Research Organisation had lost contact with lander Vikram on September 7 as it was 2.1 km above the lunar surface, trying to soft-land on the unexplored South Pole of the Moon. The module is carrying rover Pragyan and three scientific instruments, meant to study the soil composition, atmosphere, seismic activity and other aspects of the environment around the landing site.
ISRO chief gets emotional after Chandrayaan-2 setback; PM Modi gives him heartfelt hug
Another senior ISRO official told the news agency that the chances of restoring contact with Vikram lander are good, but there are limitations to it. The official said that generating power is not an issue for the lander, as it has "solar panels all around it" and it also has "internal batteries" which have not been used much.
"We have experience of recovering spacecraft (which had lost contact) in geostationary orbit. But here (in the case of Vikram), that kind of operational flexibility is not there. Already it's lying on the surface of the Moon, and we cannot reorient it. Vital thing is antennas will have to pointed towards the ground station or the orbiter. Such operation in extremely difficult. At the same time, chances are good and we will have to keep our fingers crossed," the official said.
(With PTI inputs)