Chandrayaan 2: As tensed scientists of ISRO waited for the touchdown, ‘Vikram’ lander of the Chandrayaan 2 mission lost communication with the mission control station. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was there to witness to a possible historic breakthrough boosted the morale of ISRO scientists and told them to not lose hope and “be courageous.’’ The prime minister was seen walking up to the scientists and was heard speaking words of encouragement. He also spoke to students who had won the quiz organised by the ISRO and were there to watch the planned soft landing.
#WATCH PM Narendra Modi at ISRO: There are ups and downs in life. This is not a small achievement. The nation is proud of you. Hope for the best. I congratulate you. You all have done a big service to nation, science and mankind. I am with you all the way, move forward bravely. pic.twitter.com/Iig1a8EuKD
— ANI (@ANI) September 6, 2019
“Be courageous. Don’t lose hope. There are always ups and downs in life. What all of you have done is not a small thing. You all have done a great service to the nation, science and mankind. I am with you and I also wish you all the best,” PM Modi was heard telling the Indian scientists.
PM Modi also had a heartening message for the scientists on Twitter, “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! Chairman @isro gave updates on Chandrayaan-2. We remain hopeful and will continue working hard on our space programme. (sic)”
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!
Chairman @isro gave updates on Chandrayaan-2. We remain hopeful and will continue working hard on our space programme.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 6, 2019
After Vikram lost communication, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said that the descent of the Vikram lander went as planned and the normal performance was up noted up till an altitude of 2.1 km. Later on, communication from the Vikram lander to the ground stations was lost. The data from the lander is being analyzed.
PM Modi was also seen patting Sivan’s back as scientists were getting tensed after the communication was lost with the Vikram lander.
With much anticipation, the lander had started its descent to the South Pole region of the Moon in the early hours of Saturday. The September 7 landing was very crucial for ISRO as there have been 38 attempts at soft landings on the Moon with only 20 being successful so far.
Notably, only the United States and Russia have landed a spacecraft on the Moon with China successfully putting a lunar rover only last year in January.
