'Chandrayaan-2 orbiter doing very well, no communication with lander'

ISRO Chief K Sivan: Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is doing very well. Picture/ANI

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief K Sivan on Saturday said that the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is doing very well and the eight instruments in the orbiter are doing exactly what they're meant to do. He, however, added that communication is yet to be established with the Vikram Lander. "Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is doing very well. There are 8 instruments in the orbiter and each instrument is doing exactly what it's meant to do. Regarding the lander, we have not been able to establish communication with it. Our next priority is Gaganyaan mission," Sivan said.

On Thursday, ISRO informed that the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter continues to perform the mission to complete satisfaction while experts are still analysing the communication loss with Vikram lander. Earlier this month, ISRO Chairman K Sivan had stated that the Chandryaan-2 orbiter had clicked a thermal image of the lander. The world witnessed Prime Minister Narendra Modi consoling Sivan after he failed to hold back his emotions following the loss of communication with the component on September 7. ISRO had announced the development and said that communication was lost with Vikram minutes before its soft landing on the surface of the moon.

The lander, Vikram, was to soft-land on the far side of the moon on September 7. The component had successfully separated from the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter on September 2. After revolving around the Earth's orbit for nearly 23 days. The craft had begun its journey to the moon on August 14. The mission took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 22.

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