In what seems to be a major breakthrough, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has located Vikram, the Chandrayaan-2 lander, on the lunar surface. The Vikram Lander had crashed about 2.1 km from moon surface denying India a chance to become forth nation to soft-land a lander on the lunar surface.
However, ISRO is yet to establish contact with Lander -Vikram; the space agency lost communications with the lander minutes before it was to set to land on near the south pole of the Moon and create history for India.
The communication with the lander has not yet been established. Vikram was located with the help of the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, which remains safe and is revolving around the Moon. The orbiter managed to shoot a thermal image of the Vikram lander.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief, K Sivan to ANI:We've found the location of #VikramLander on lunar surface&orbiter has clicked a thermal image of Lander. But there is no communication yet. We are trying to have contact. It will be communicated soon. #Chandrayaan2 pic.twitter.com/1MbIL0VQCo
— ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2019
In an exclusive interview to India Today TV, K Sivan said the agency had managed to locate “the lander using the orbiter and has attained a thermal image of it.” ISRO has been able to identify the lander Vikram, but the condition of the lander is yet to be ascertained.
The soft-landing of Chandrayaan-2’s landing module, Vikram, did not go according to plan as all ground communication was lost with it just moments before the scheduled landing late on September 7.
Space experts suggest the agency would try to establish contact with the Vikram lander for the next 14 days, and that information coming in from the Orbiter would be crucial.
