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ISRO makes India Proud: Remember, The Orbiter is going strong.
07 Sep 2019
Rama University stands in solidarity with our ISRO scientists for Chandrayaan-2 mission. Even though we have lost contact with lander Vikram, but the orbiter is still going strong. So, all is not lost.
The world watched with bated breath as India tried to go where no one had ever gone before -- the south pole of the moon. India's ambitious second lunar mission Chandrayaan 2 was expected to make its soft landing on the surface on the moon late on Friday night.
However, the moment of victory turned sour for our scientist at Indian Space Research Organisation's (Isro) Mission Operations Complex in Bengaluru as Chandrayaan 2's lander 'Vikram' lost communication with the ground stations on Saturday just ahead of the soft landing.
Isro chief K Sivan said till 2.1 km above the surface of the Moon, the mission was doing fine but before Vikram could land, ISRO lost contact with it. While it at first glance it may seem like the mission has failed that is far from true.
Everything is not lost. And so is confirmed by many experts. Here is what they say:
"Only 5 percent of the mission has been lost - Vikram, the lander, and Pragyan, the rover. The remaining 95 percent, that is the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter, is orbiting the moon successfully," said an Isro official.
Writer and managing editor of NASA Spaceflight Chris G agreed. He said,"If Vikram failed to land - which it looks like remember the orbiter is where 95 percent of the experiments are. The orbiter is safely in lunar orbit and performing its mission. This is not a total failure. Not at all," Chris G said.
Here are a few fascinating points about Chandrayaan-2 that should make us all proud of our scientist:
• The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft comprised three segments the Orbiter (weighing 2,379 kg, eight payloads), 'Vikram' (1,471 kg, four payloads) and 'Pragyan' (27 kg, two payloads).
• Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III, or the GSLV Mk-III, the biggest and most powerful rocket in India's space garage carried with it the orbiter, lander, and rover. The GSLV Mk-III successfully launched the orbiter.
• Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, going around the Moon, is capable of communicating with Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) and the mission life of the Orbiter is one year. With a mission life of one year, the Orbiter can take several pictures of the moon and send it to the Isro. The Orbiter can also take pictures of the lander to know its status, the space agency official said.
If we look at the mission payloads, we come across a better understanding of things and how it is indeed not a failure as a whole.
So, we believe it is a time for celebration and a moment of pride for us. No wonder, Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi while Addressing scientists at Bengaluru's ISRO control center, said the best is yet to come in our space programme, and India is with their scientists. "Learnings from today will make us stronger and better. There will be a new dawn. When ISRO has its encyclopedia of success, some hurdles cannot put its flight out of trajectory," he said hours after India lost contact with Chandrayaan-2 lander Vikram.