The communication loss with Vikram lander in the Chandrayan-2 mission was just a partial loss, said international space experts around the world as the attempt of ISRO was something very difficult.
A statement released by ISRO read, “Chandrayaan 2 was a highly complex mission… a significant technological leap compared to the previous missions.”
Without confirming anything about the lander crash-landed, ISRO statement revealed the orbiter’s mission life is changed from one year to seven based on the fuel level it currently has.
ISRO added the orbiter will still send data for the understanding of moon’s evolution and mapping of water molecules and minerals on the southern polar regions of the lunar surface.
The camera installed on the orbiter has the highest resolution of 0.3m ever used in any lunar mission and the images will be highly useful in the period of next seven years to the global scientific community.
ISRO said the mission was 90 percent successful to day. It added, “The Vikram Lander followed the planned descent trajectory from its orbit of 35 km to just below 2 km above the surface. All the systems and sensors of the Lander functioned excellently until this point and proved many new technologies such as variable thrust propulsion technology used in the Lander.”
Former US astronaut and space analyst Jerry M Linenger said the overall Chandrayan-2 mission of India was very successful.
Nasa Spaceflight writer and managing editor Chris G said the orbiter is safely performing its mission, which is not a total failure.
