Only 3 Days Left To Attempt Re-Connecting With Vikram Lander

On 21 September, it would be 14 days since ISRO lost contact with Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram Lander.

Scientists at ISRO are running against the clock to try and re-establish contact with Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram Lander. 

Photo: ISRO

In three days, it’s going to be night on the Moon at the area where Chandrayaan-2 Mission’s Vikram Lander lies incommunicado. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been trying to re-establish contact with its Moon mission lander, since 7 September.

ISRO looks like it has given up hope, having tweeted a picture on 17 September thanking everyone for inspiring them to aim for the sky.

Vikram Lander, one of the key components of the Chandrayaan-2 mission lost contact with ISRO when it was just 2.1 Km above the surface of the moon, after having successfully detached from the orbitor a few days earlier. Scientists at ISRO weren’t sure if it had landed or had crashed.

However, on 8 September, a thermal image clicked by the orbitor from 100 Km above the surface showed it had landed, but was tilted and non-responsive. The Lander also contains a rover, Pragyan, which was to conduct experiments on the lunar surface for one lunar day or 14 Earth days.

NASA’s deep-space network has been attempting to contact Chandrayaan-2’s lander.Photo: NASA website

American space organisation, NASA, has been assisting ISRO in trying to reconnect with the lander. Its lunar probe is attempting to get a clearer picture of the lander as well. The deep-space network of antennae on Earth have also been trying to track Chandrayaan-2.

ISRO’s mission to the moon with Chandrayaan-2 has fascinated many the world over. Recently, Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, in a conversation with astronaut Nick Hague aboard the International Space Station also enquired on whether the astronaut followed the moon landing.

While losing contact with the lander is a setback for ISRO, the orbitor has been given a new lease of life with ISRO announcing it has a lifespan of up to 7 years. Initially, the orbitor’s mission was to be for about a year.