Chandrayaan-2 Was 95 Per Cent Successful, We Are Trying To Contact With Lander: ISRO Chief K Sivan

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Sivan on Saturday said that scientists are trying with Chandrayaan-2's lander 'Vikram' which lost communication with the ground stations on just ahead of the soft landing on Moon. "Mission was 95 per cent successful, we are trying to establish contact with lander. The orbiter is completely intact and it can perform for next 7.5 years," Sivan told DD News.

The contact from the lander to the ground stations was lost during its powered descent to the Lunar surface minutes before the planned touch-down.

Meanwhile, ISRO issued a statement saying Chandrayaan-2 mission was a highly complex mission, which represented a significant technological leap compared to the previous missions of ISRO.

“This was a unique mission which aimed at studying not just one area of the Moon but all the areas combining  the exosphere, the surface as well as the sub-surface of the moon in a single mission. The Orbiter has already been placed in its intended orbit around the Moon and shall enrich our understanding of the moon’s evolution and mapping of the minerals and water molecules in the Polar Regions, using its eight state-of-the-art scientific instruments,” reads a statement issued by ISRO.

“The success criteria was defined for each and every phase of the mission and till date 90 to 95% of the mission objectives have been accomplished and will continue contribute to Lunar science , notwithstanding the loss of communication with the Lander,” it added.

The mission life of the 2,379-kg orbiter is one year. The orbiter payloads will conduct remote-sensing observations from a 100 km orbit.

Chandrayaan-2, a follow-on mission to the Chandrayaan-1 mission undertaken more than a decade ago, comprises an orbiter, lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan).

The orbiter carries eight scientific payloads for mapping the lunar surface and study the exosphere (outer atmosphere) of the Moon.

HIGHLIGHTS

• ISRO said Chandrayaan-2 mission was a highly complex mission.
• The mission life of the 2,379-kg orbiter is one year. 
• The orbiter payloads will conduct remote-sensing observations from a 100 km orbit.