BackIndia is proud of its scientists: PM Narendra Modi
Soon after Dr Sivan issued the statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi patted on his back, and said, 'Be courageous'In his statement, ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan said the powered descent was going as planned till it was just 2.1 kms above the lunar surface
PremiumBENGALURU : India is proud of its scientists said Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Lander Vikram loses contact with the ground station during last two minutes of the powered descent on the moon.
"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! We remain hopeful and will continue working hard on our space programme," Modi tweeted after meeting the Chandrayaan-2 team at the Mission Control Complex in Bengaluru.
Mission Chandryaan-2 was India's second mission to the moon which was launched on July 22, nearly 11 years after the first mission which gave the world presence of water molecules on the moon. After spending nearly seven weeks in the space, it began the last phase of the mission at 1:38 am on Saturday, to attempt a soft landing on the moon.
During the process, Lander Vikram was supposed to gradually reduce its velocity from 1.6km/seconds to zero in a controlled manner. The 15 minutes exercise was supposed to take place in four stages. The first two stages went as planned, as Lander reduced its velocity to half as it came 7kms above the lunar surface.
However, the communication was snapped in the last two minutes, when it was just 2.1km above the moon and very close to the landing site near the south pole of the moon.
In his statement, ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan said the powered descent was going as planned till it was just 2.1 kms above the lunar surface. "Subsequently, the communication with the Lander was lost. The data is being analyzed," said Dr K Sivan.
Soon after Dr Sivan issued the statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi patted on his back, and said, "Be courageous."
"We owe a lot to our scientists. They have served the nation for years with their hard work. They have done a lot to contribute positively to the mankind. I'm with you all. Lets walk with strength. With your continued hardwork, India will soon get to celebrate soon," said Modi, while talking to the team Chandrayaan-2. He later interacted with the school students who had come to watch the landing with the Prime Minister and encouraged them to dream big.
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