The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter's ensemble of eight scientific instruments was performing very well and is expected to continue its stellar work for about seven and a half years, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said on Saturday, 21 September.
As the prospects of re-establishing contact with Chandrayaan-2's 'Vikram' lander have virtually ended after the conclusion of 14 Earth days, ISRO said it will take up a study to ascertain what exactly happened to it.
ISRO lost contact with Vikram, which encased the rover, Pragyan in the early hours of 7 September, seconds before touchdown on the lunar surface.
- Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is healthy and safe in the lunar orbit
- ISRO chairman says data is being analysed on why communication was lost in the final moments before landing
- Chandrayaan-2 orbiter to continue to circle the moon for seven years, ISRO said
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Chandrayaan Orbiter Doing Extremely Well: Sivan
The Chandrayaan-2 orbiter's ensemble of eight scientific instruments was performing very well and is expected to continue its stellar work for about seven and a half years, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said on Saturday.
As the prospects of re-establishing contact with Chandrayaan-2's 'Vikram' lander have virtually ended after the conclusion of 14 Earth days, ISRO said it will take up a study to ascertain what exactly happened to it.
Sivan told reporters in Bhubaneshwar, "...first, we have to understand what exactly happened to the lander."
"...some of the pictures what we got were excellent and it is going to do a greater amount of science (research)," he added.
Though the orbiter was initially planned for only a year, he said in view of "very optimum mission planning, we are able to get seven and a half years of life time. So we are going to get seven and a half years of science (research) not one year."
NASA LRO Reportedly Fails to Spot Vikram Lander
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has reportedly failed to spot the Vikram lander on the moon's surface, a report from Space.com said.
According to reports, the LRO's camera instrument clicked images of the landing site on Tuesday, 17 September which NASA will make available soon. The images, however, are reported to not have picked up anything significant since it is near dusk on the lunar surface.
The NASA statement cited by Space.com said that the "local lunar time was near dusk, leading to poor lighting and a challenging imaging environment."
Mark Carreau from Aviation Week was quoted by space.com as saying that the shadows in the area may be obscuring the silent lunar explorer.
A report by CNet said that the US space agency will take another shot at spotting the Vikram lander. It said that the LRO will fly over again on 14 October when lighting conditions are expected to be better.
ISRO Thanks All Indians for Support After it Lost Contact with Lander
ISRO on Tuesday thanked Indians in the country and abroad for the support it received after the space agency lost contact with the lander of the country's second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2, minutes before touchdown on the lunar surface on September 7
"Thank you for standing by us. We will continue to keep going forward propelled by the hopes and dreams of Indians across the world!" ISRO tweeted.
"Thank you for inspiring us to always aim for the sky," the Indian Space Research Organisation said.
The space agency had got support from the entire nation, despite it losing communication with the lander ahead of the touchdown, with people from all walks of life praising ISRO and its scientists for the achievement.
'Propelled by Hopes & Dreams of Indians Across the World': ISRO
ISRO took to Twitter to show their gratitude for all the support they have received from Indian across the world.