Chandrayaan-2 Live: Vikram Lander located on lunar surface, must have been a hard-landing, confirms Sivan

ISRO Chief K Sivan on Sunday confirmed that Chandrayaan-2's Vikram Lander has been located on the Lunar surface and it must have been a hard-landing. Sivan said efforts to establish contact with the lander were on.Support poured in for ISRO scientists on Twitter, with messages of encouragement flooding the micro-blogging site, after Chandrayaan-2's moon lander Vikram lost contact with ground stations minutes before touchdown early Saturday morning. As the space organisation analyses data from the lander, confusion remains over what actually happened at the very last stage as speculation rife that the mission failed. Stay tuned for live updates

Chandrayaan-2: 'Vikram intact, in tilted position'

Not losing hope, the Indian Space Research Organisation continued to make all-out efforts to establish a link with Chandrayaan-2's 'Vikram' lander, now lying on the lunar surface after a hard-landing.Vikram, with rover 'Pragyan' housed inside it, hit the lunar surface after communication with the ground-stations was lost during its final descent, just 2.1 km above the lunar surface, in the early hours of September 7.

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India will never ever forget the morning of 7th September: PM Modi

Orbiter’s extended life, a big boost for Chandrayaan-2

The extension of the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter’s life to a mind-boggling 7.5 years around the Moon has given the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) a massive boost. The high-resolution cameras and other modules aboard the Orbiter will bring homethe Moon in unprecedented detail.

To find out about themodules aboard the Orbiter, a critical component of the mission, read the full story here.

Nation's support, PM's address boosted our morale: ISRO Chief Sivan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address and the outpouring of support and kind words for ISRO after the unsuccessful bid byChandrayaan-2's Vikram module to touch-down on the lunar surface have boosted the morale of its scientists, space agency's Chairman K Sivan said on Sunday.

"We are extremely happy (with PM's address as well as nation rallying behind ISRO). It has boosted the morale of our people," Sivan told PTI.

Former ISRO Chairman K Kasturirangan praised the Prime Minister for inspiring, encouraging and reassuring Sivan and ISRO team and fully backing them. "We are so touched. The country has given a good, positive response. PM was incredible yesterday." he told PTI.

"The way he (PM) conveyed it... so passionate... so emotional and sometimes rich with meanings and positive responses. I think we could not have expected anything better. Fantastic," he said.

The Prime Minister on Saturday gave a long and tight hug to an emotional Sivan, who was in tears, unable to come to terms over Lander Vikram's unsuccessful bid to soft-land on the moon.

The video of Modi hugging Sivan has gone viral on social media with netizens dubbing it the hug of over a billion Indians and heaping praises on both.

Chandrayaan-2 Lander setback will not affect future space missions of the country: Karnataka Guv Vajubhai Vala

Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala said the lander setback in theChandrayaan-2project will not have any effect on future space missions of the country.

Speaking late Saturday night in Vadodara, he said the country was proud of its scientists and stood solidly behind the Indian Space Research Organisation.

In the early hours of Saturday, the Vikram lander module ofChandrayaan-2had lost communication with ground stations, just2.1 km from the lunar surface during its final descent.

On Sunday, ISRO chairman K Sivan said the lander had been located on the lunar surface, adding that "it must have been a hard-landing".

Our dear Vikram....: Anupam Kher pays tribute to Vikram Lander, pens down a letter

Like we talk about sportsman spirit, it's ISRO spirit in Hindustan now: PM Modi in Rohtak, Haryana

Chandrayaan-2: Vikram Lander located on lunar surface

The Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter has located the Vikram Landeron the lunar surface, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) ChairmanK Sivan hasconfirmed. However, communication is yet to be established with Vikram, which had hard-landed early on Saturday morning.

The Orbiter has relayed the first images of the Lander, and ISRO is expected to put them out any time soon. On Saturday evening, Sivan had said thatthe space agency was trying to re-establish the communicationlink with Vikram, and the attempt would continue for the next 14 days.

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Special Cover on Chandrayaan-2 released

The Department of Posts, West Bengal, on Saturday released a commemorative Special Cover on the Chandrayaan-2 mission.

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K Sivan: The man who led the Moon mission

India's most ambitious Moon Mission, Chandrayaan-2 might have stumbled a bit in its final hurdle. But standing rock solid behind the project, even certifying it a 'near-100% success,'one man made everyone at Isro hold their heads high with pride: Kailasavadivoo Sivan.

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Space startups see Isro as both inspiration & rival

For Indian space entrepreneurs trying to get their projects off the ground, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) has come to serve not only as a guiding light but a rival in the struggle for the future for space dominance.

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Sivan's silver lining: Orbiter to live for 7.5 yrs

Amid the gloom of Chandrayaan-2’s failed Lander touchdown, Isro Chairman K Sivan on Saturday offered a silver lining: The Orbiter will now stay alive for 7.5 years, orbiting the Moon way beyond its intended life of 12 months.

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Chandrayaan-2 will have no impact on Gaganyaan: Official

The Chandrayaan-2 mission will "absolutely have no impact" on ISRO's ambitious manned mission Gaganyaan, scheduled to be launched in 2022, according to an ISRO official.

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Chandrayaan-2: Agonising, heart-breaking final moments

Agonising, traumatic, absolutely devastating! It couldn’t have been more heart-breaking for the scientists tracking every nano-second of Chandrayaan-2 Lander’s powered descent onto the lunar surface. The mission flawlessly covered 3,84,398 kms, but the final 2.1 km last-mile link loss abruptly ended a dream.

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Sri Lanka PM congratulates ISRO

India has made history: Maldives President

"With Chandraayan 2, India has made history. Whatever the final outcome, landing a probe on the moon is no mean feat. I applaud and commend the efforts of PM Narendra Modiand ISRO for their hard work to further the cause of human scientific progress," saidIbrahim Mohamed Solih,President of the Republic of Maldives

he world would recon the major technological advancement of ISRO: Mauritius PM

Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravin Jagunath said, "Although it was not a successful landing this time, the world would recon the major technological advancement of the Indian Spacial Programme. We look forward to collaborative efforts between Mauritius and the ISRO team in the future."

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Nation is with ISRO scientists: Mamata

40% of lunar missions in last 60 years failed: NASA

The success ratio of lunar missions undertaken in the last six decades is 60 per cent, according to US space agency NASA's 'Moon Fact Sheet'.

Of the 109 lunar missions during the period, 61 were successful and 48 had failed, it stated.

In the early hours of Saturday, Indian space agency ISRO's plan to soft-land Chandrayaan-2's Vikram module on the lunar surface did not go as per script.

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The country is proud of ISRO: Prez Kovind

Film industry hails ISRO team for Chandrayaan-2

Prominent actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Kamal Hassan, offered words of encouragement to ISRO scientists and hailed them for the mission.

"Sometimes we don't land or arrive at the destination we want to. The important thing is we took off and had the Hope and Belief we can. Our current situation is never and not our final destination. That always comes in time and belief! Proud of #ISRO" Shah Rukh tweeted.

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We achieved 95% of mission's objective: Ex-ISRO chief

Former ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said on Sept.7 that the Chandrayaan-2 has achieved 95 per cent of its mission objectives, the lander's unsuccessful bid to touch-down on the Lunar surface notwithstanding.

The former Secretary in the Department of Space and ex-Space Commission Chairman noted that the orbiter is healthy and functioning normally in the Lunar orbit, and that Chandrayaan-2 had multiple objectives, including soft-landing.

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Chandrayaan-2 landing attempt will help India’s future missions: Former NASA astronaut

The lessons learned from India's “bold attempt” to soft-land Chandrayaan-2's Vikram module on the lunar surface will help the country during its future missions, former NASA astronaut Jerry Linenger said.

"We should not be too discouraged. India was trying to do something very, very difficult. In fact, everything was going as planned as the lander came down," Linenger said.

PTI

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan praised the scientists of ISRO

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan lavished praises on the scientists ofISRO, who toiled hard for the historic moon mission, Chandrayaan-2 and expressed confidence.

Vijayan said the dedication of theISRO scientists was "commendable". "They can overcome the present hurdles. Best wishes to them to move forward with confidence and reach further heights," the CM added.

PTI

Cong leader Rajeev Gowda calls lunar mission failure a 'temporary setback'

"Our outstanding ISRO scientists deserve applause for their untiring efforts. They have braved worse odds before. This is a temporary setback in a momentous journey. We shall overcome. Thank you, ISRO! Onward to success!,"Congress leader Rajeev Gowda tweeted.

ISRO team's dedication and hard work "is an inspiration for us": Ahmed Patel

Cong spokesperson says lunar mission failure is a new opportunity to surge ahead

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said,"Chandrayaan-2mission is a testimony that ISRO’s scientists have traversed the new frontiers of space & made every Indian proud. We see it as a new opportunity to surge ahead & reach greater heights. Future is only brighter to achieve new feats & heights!"

Losing GSAT 6A contact left Chandrayaan-2 in a lurch

Indian space agency ISRO, which lost contact with Chandrayaan-2's lander Vikram early Saturday morning, had deferred the lunar mission's launch last year after a loss in communication with military satellite GSAT 6A.

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We owe a great debt to ISRO: Sonia Gandhi

"We owe a great debt toISROand the brilliant men and women who staff it. Their hard work and dedication has earned India a place in the league of space-faring nations and has inspired generations to reach for the stars," Sonia Gandhi said in a statement.

It is a testament to their remarkable ability, goodwill and unique place in the heart of every Indian, that the nation followed Chandrayaan-2's journey at every step, no matter the hour, the Congress chief said.

PTI

Goa CM lauds ISRO scientists for their efforts

Chandrayaan-2 may have faced some challenges, but the entire nation is proud of our team of scientists at ISROwho are among few special ones in the world possess the expertise and capabilities to undertake space missions of such great magnitude: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

Your efforts have made history: Congress to ISRO

Congress tweeted, "Congratulations to the entire team at ISRO for their hard work & dedication. Your passion is an inspiration to an entire generation of budding scientists who will look at your work as a stepping stone to future greatness. Your efforts have made history & made our nation proud."

We are proud of India and its scientists today. Chandrayaan-2 saw some challenges last minute but courage and hard work you have shown are historical. Knowing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I have no doubt he and his ISRO team will make it happen one day: Bhutan PM Lotay Tshering

Journey of Chandrayan-2 is indeed a great effort by the space scientists of India. This mission in many ways has strengthened India's resolve to go deeper into space and explore new frontiers. Entire country is proud of ISRO team:Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

There will be a new dawn: PM Modi on Chandrayaan-2

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sept.7 asked ISRO scientists not to get disheartened by the hurdles in the moon mission Chandrayaan-2 and asserted that there will be a "new dawn".

ISRO's plan to soft-land Chandrayaan-2's Vikram module on the Lunar surface did not go as per script in the early hours of Sept.7, with the lander losing communication with ground stations during its final descent.

Read the full report here.

PM Modi hugs and consoles ISRO Chief K Sivan after he breaks down. (DH Photo: Shivakumar)

Today I can proudly say that the effort was worth it andso was the journey. Our team worked hard, traveled far andthese very teachings will remain with us. The learning from today will make us stronger and better: PM Modi

There will be a new dawn and a brighter tomorrow very soon. There is no failure in science, only experiment and efforts: PM Modi

We will rise to the occasion and reach even newer heights of success. To our scientists I want to say —India is with you. You are exceptional professionals who have made an incredible contribution to national progress: PM Modi

We came very close, but we need to cover more grounds in the times to come: PM

In our illustrious history, we have faced moments that may have slowed us but they have never crushed our spirit. We have bounced back again and gone on to do spectacular things. This is the reason why our civilization stands tall: PM Modi

Our determination to reach the moon has become stronger: PM Modi

You are the one who live for India: PM Modi

I understand what you were going through last night. I was reading the sadness on your face: PM Modi to scientists.

Appreciating ISRO's efffort, PM Modi on September 7 asked the scientists to not lose hope.

Prime Minister to address nation from ISRO headquarters shortly

Prime Minister will address the nation from ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru. He was at the headquarters to witness the landing of Lander Vikram that was scheduled early morning.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation shortly.

Leaders laud ISRO for its hard work

Morale boosting messages poured in from various quarters for ISRO as several leaders asked the space agency not to get disheartened after Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander lost contact with ground stations minutes before its planned touchdown on the lunar surface.

Expressing solidarity with the scientific community, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "India is proud of our scientists", and asked them to be "courageous." Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman too extended her support to the ISRO scientists. She tweeted, "We are with you ISRO. You have brought the nation, its young minds and all, together in sensing your achievements in Space. You will succeed."

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again: Anand Mahindra

The communication isn’t lost. Every single person in India can feel the heartbeat of #chandrayaan2 We can hear it whisper to us that'If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,'tweets Anand Mahindra.

Descent normal up to an altitude of 2.1 km: ISRO

Data is being analysed, says ISRO

Data is being analysed. We don't have any result yet. It takes time. We are not sure: Deviprasad Karnik, scientist ISRO, on being asked if Vikram Lander has crashed.

PM Narendra Modi will address the nation from ISRO Control Centre today (September 07, 2019) at 0800 hrs IST, tweeted ISRO

PM Modi speaking with the scientists at the ISRO centre after contact with Vikram lander was lost

PM Modi sharing a light moment at the ISRO centre with one of the kids selected through the ISRO Space Quiz

Even as confusion clouds Chandrayaan-2's fate, tweets have started pouring in expressing solidarity with the ISRO team

Watch Chandryaan-2 landing

Forty seven days have elapsed since Chandrayaan-2 lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 22. During this period, the spacecraft had successfully completed 10 orbit raising and lowering manoeuvres flawlessly.

ISRO now says data is still being analysed. Final picture will emerge in another 15 minutes

Chandrayaan-1 too had reached the Orbiter level but had not attempted a soft landing. ISRO took the risk this time, despite a success rate of only 37% in attempts by other space-faring nations.

Orbiter continues in its 100km x 100 km orbit, relaying high definition images of the lunar surface. This will prompt ISRO to dub the mission a partial success

The sullen faces at the ISTRAC control room indicated that the spectre of mission failure looms large.

At 2.27 am, 37 minutes after the scheduled 1.53 am touchdown, ISRO still has no confirmation. Communication link still not restored.

PM Modi asks ISRO scientists to be courageous as communication with Vikram lander still in the dark

ISRO chief K Sivan: "Vikram Lander landing was as planned up to 2.1 km. Subsequently, communication was lost. The data is being analysed"

Chandrayaan-2 got into contact with ISRO, but is currently facing signal loss due to trajectory deviation.

Some announcement on what happened there very soon. Waiting for signal.

Anxiety grips ISRO as Vikram landing confirmation delayed

Tense moments at the mission control as Vikram lander nears surface of Moon

Fine breaking phase has also been completed successfully. Vikram lander now less than 400 metres away from the surface of the Moon.

Rough landing phase of Vikram completed successfully

Vikram now just 75 km from landing site

'15 minutes of terror' as Vikram lander begins descent

Vikram now at an orbit of 30 km x 100 km above the moon. Descent to start in five minutes

Former ISRO chairmen K Radhakrishnan, Kiran Kumar, Kasturirangan among dignitaries present at ISTRAC.

Modi arrives at ISRO to witness Chandrayaan-2 landing

Prime minister Narendra Modi, who landed at 9.30 pm, is now at the ISTRAC control centre. He is likely to address the gathering of scientists after the landing. About 75 school students who were selected after an ISRO quiz are also there to watch the historic landing live.

Less than one hour to go for the landing. The powered descent of the Lander will begin at 1.38 am.

View of the moon from ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) near Peenya in Bengaluru on the night of descent of Chandryaan 2. DH Photo: Pushkar V

Jeff Bezos wishes India good luck ahead of Chandrayaan-2 landing

Pragyan to test the presence of water on lunar surface

A few hours after Chandrayaan-2's landing module Vikram touches down on the moon early Saturday, Rover 'Pragyan' will emerge from the lander and roll out onto the lunar surface.

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About 70 students from different parts of the nation to witness Chandrayaan-2 landing with PM Modi

Scene at ISTRAC, about two hours before the Chandrayaan-2 Lander's powered descent, the media awaits with cameras galore. No action yet, but expectations are high for a successful lunar touchdown

Reuters graphics showing Chandrayaan-2 landing procedure

Governor Vajubhai Vala welcomes PM Narendra Modi at Bengaluru ahead of Chandrayaan-2 landing

CM B S Yediyurappa welcomes PM Narendra Modi at Bengaluru ahead of Chandrayaan-2 landing

Chandrayaan-2: Five facts about the Moon

Chandrayaan-2 is ISRO most ambitious moon mission. The Vikram lander is set to descend on the lunar surface on September 7 at between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m. In the advent of this historic national event, let's see five lesser-known facts about the Moon

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A view of ISRO's monitoring centre in Bengaluru as Chandrayaan-2 moves closer to landing

PM Modi lands in Bengaluru ahead of Moon landing

Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creates art commemorating Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2: India's lunar journey in pictures

After a decade of hard work by ISRO, Chandrayaan-2 is set to land on the surface of the Moon.

Here's the journey of Chandrayaan-2 till now in pictures

The lunar surface imaged by Terrain Mapping Camera 2 on August 23 at an altitude of 4,375 km showing impact craters like as Sommerfeld and Kirkwood.

ISRO: 'Let's pray for the successful soft-landing'

"Let's pray for the successful soft-landing" -- that pretty much sums up the mood at ISRO ahead of Saturday's highly crucial event of the Chandrayaan-2 mission.Nervous and anxious for sure but the city-headquartered space agency is cautiously optimistic of "Vikram" module's soft-landing on the Lunar surface planned in the early hours of Saturday.

Chairman of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) K Sivan recently said the space agency "had done everything humanly possible" for the mission's success. Top space scientists have also expressed confidence about the success of the ambitious venture.

The launch of Chandrayaan-2 sparked nation wide euphoria. As the hour of landing approaches, a sense of something special has gripped the nation

The nostalgia of childhood

Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong’s Moon landing had sparked a billion dreams worldwide. A generation later, many Indians harboured an Indian repeat.

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Keeping a close watch

The health of the spacecraft is being continuously monitored from the Mission Operations Complex (MOX) at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bengaluru with support from Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN) antennas at Bylalu, near Bengaluru.

Share your photos, maybe you will become the lucky one.

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists work on the orbiter vehicle of 'Chandrayaan-2', India's first moon lander and rover mission planned and developed by the ISRO. (AFP file photo)

ISRO releases video detailing the Pragyan rover

Chandrayaan-2 may shed light on Moon's South Pole

With Chandrayaan-2's 'Vikram' module all set for a historic soft-landing on the Moon in the early hours of Saturday, India's second lunar expedition is expected to shed light on a completely unexplored section -- its South Polar region.Soft-landing on the south pole of the moon is considered the most challenging part of the mission. According to ISRO, the lunar South Pole is especially interesting because of the lunar surface area here that remains in shadow is much larger than that at the North Pole.

ISRO has said that Chandrayaan-2 would attempt to soft land the lander 'Vikram' and rover 'Pragyan' in a high plain between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, at a latitude of about 70 south. While the 'Pragyan' will carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of one lunar day, which is equal to 14 earth days, the main orbiter would continue its mission for a year.

History in the making

A successful step on the moon would not just expand India's footprint in space but it will also make it the first country to reach the South Polar region of the moon in its first attempt, and the fourth country to make a soft landing on the moon otherthan US, Russia, and China. Itwill be the first to launch a mission to the unexplored south pole region of the Moon.

Around 60-70 students from across the country will be watching live India's proposed soft landing on the Moon in the early hours of Saturday, along with Prime Minister Modi, ISRO has said. Two top-scoring students in ISRO's online space quiz contest from each State and Union territory have been invited by the space agency to watch at its centre here the landing of Chandrayaan-2's 'Vikram' module on the Moon.

The spacecraft will finally touch the south polar region of the moon.

When and where to watch moon-landing

While the entire nation is excited to capture the historic moment, here are the sites where you can witness it live:

1. You can watch Chandrayaan-2 moon-landing on ISRO's official YouTubechannel.

2. You can also catch the live streaming of India's second moon-landing on Doordarshan National's Youtube channel.

3.The historic event will also be live-streamed by the National Geographic channel by former NASA astronaut Jerry Linenger.

Meghalaya student gets lucky

A tribal student from Meghalaya has become part of a team that will witness the moon landing of Chandrayaan-2 live from ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru on September 7 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official said on Friday.

Ribait Phawa studies at Class 10 in Ramakrishna Mission Higher Secondary School, Sohra and is an NCC cadet.

Chandrayaan-2 will do a 3-dimensional mapping of the lunar region. Measurements on the near-surface environment and electron density in the layers of the moon, and the presence of water molecules will be studied.

India has spent about $144 million to get Chandrayaan-2 ready for the 384,400-km trip to the landing spot on the lunar South Pole.

The final showdown

Once Vikram descends to an altitude of about 400m, Vikram will hover for 12 seconds to capture images of the landing surface. To ensure that the touchdown is safe and soft, all fire engines aboard Vikram will be fired to reduce the velocity. The final 10m descent will be achieved in 25 seconds.

A video of Vikram's incredible journey

The moment 130 crore Indians were enthusiastically waiting for is here: Modi

Hours before the "historic" event, Prime Minister Modi in a series of tweets said, "The moment 130 crore Indians were enthusiastically waiting for is here! In a few hours from now, the final descent of Chandrayaan-2 will take place on the Lunar South Pole. India, and the rest of the world will yet again see the exemplary prowess of our space scientists."

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The first Moon shot was captured by the Mission's Vikram Lander at a height of about 2,650 km from the lunar surface on August 21. Photo: ISRO

Most complex in ISRO's history: Nair on soft-landing

The proposed soft-landing on the Moon on September 7 by the Chandrayaan-2 mission is by far the most complex in ISRO's history, says its former Chairman G Madhavan Nair, who is 100 per cent sure of its success.

Nair, who spearheaded Chandrayaan-1 mission more than a decade ago, termed ISRO successfully separating lander 'Vikram' from Chandrayaan-2 orbiter on Monday as a "great event" and said from now onwards it's going to be an even tougher job. "We are one step closer to having us soft-land on the lunar surface and so far so good; all the mission sequences have gone off well, computation, as well as planning, have worked well and now the lander is in elliptical orbit", he said.

Cameras, laser ranging systems, onboard computers and, above all, the software required for the entire operation has to work in unison. "So, complexities are really going to be...biggest complexity ever we have done in a mission is going to be demonstrated in this", the former Secretary in the Department of Space and ex-Space Commission Chairman said. If things go as planned and ISRO succeeds in soft-landing on the Moon, it will boost India's image in the international arena and show to the world how a "so-called developing nation" has perfected space technologies developed by it, he said.

Chandrayaan-1, when it all began

On the day of the Chandrayaan-1's launch in 2008, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) faced a "very tough situation" as it had a very short launch window and the weather was "very, very bad", Dr M Annadurai, the Project Director of the successful mission, said.

Chandrayaan-1 scripted history by making more than 3,400 orbits around the Moon and was operational for 312 days till August 29, 2009.

According to ISRO, the mission conclusively established traces of water on the moon, making a path-breaking discovery. Chandrayaan-1 also discovered water ice in the North polar region besides detecting magnesium, aluminium and silicon on the lunar surface while global imaging of the moon was another achievement of the mission.

Scientist recalls Chandrayaan-1 launch moment

As ISRO waits with bated breath for the soft-landing of Chandrayaan-2's 'Vikram' module on the Moon in the dark hours of Saturday, a top space scientist recalled his "nail-biting moment" experience during the launch of India's first lunar mission more than a decade ago.

On the day of the Chandrayaan-1's launch in 2008, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) faced a "very tough situation" as it had a very short launch window and the weather was "very, very bad", Dr. M Annadurai, the Project Director of the successful mission, said.

"We were running against time, that was the last date to take off, we had some technical issues to set right and the weather was very, very bad at Sriharikota spaceport. "Everybody was anxious, luckily for half-an-hour, the weather cleared but after that there were thunder-storms; launch time was a real nail-biting moment", Annadurai, also the Programme Director of "Mangalyaan", the Mars Orbiter Mission, launched in 2013, told PTI.

PM to witness soft-landing on Moon as it happens

Devotees at a Ganesh 'Mandap' created on the theme of Chandrayaan-2 launch during Ganpati festival in Pune. (PTI photo)

A tale of two nations bound by one dream

US space scientists, including those from NASA, are all over the moon as they await with bated breath for India's ambitious lunar mission Chandrayaan-2's historic soft landing on the moon in the early hours of Saturday.The US space community believes that the landmark mission would help them enrich their understanding of the moon's geology.

The New York Times noted on Thursday that Chandrayaan-2 was "relatively inexpensive" compared with other space missions.

Scientists hope to gain a better understanding of the origins of the deposits and determine whether it might be possible to mine them to obtain water for future space missions, Timothy Swindle, director of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona in Tucson told NBC news.

The journey that began on the eve of the Independence Day

The spacecraft began its journey towards the moon leaving the earth's orbit in the dark hours on August 14, after a crucial manoeuvre called Trans Lunar Insertion that was carried out by ISRO to place the spacecraft on "Lunar Transfer Trajectory."

All the important points you need to know about Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2's 27-kg robotic vehicle 'Pragyan', which translates to 'wisdom' in Sanskrit, can travel up to 500 metres from the landing spot on the Moon and leverages solar energy for its functioning.

Trivia on Vikram, Chandrayaan-2's lander

The 1,471-kg 'Vikram', named after Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, father of the Indian space programme, is designed to execute a soft landing on the lunar surface, and to function for one lunar day, which is equivalent to about 14 earth days.

How to watch the historic landing?

The touch-down of 'Vikram' lander is scheduled between 1.30 am and 2.30 am on Saturday, followed by the rollout of rover 'Pragyan' between 5.30 a.m and 6.30 a.m.

The soft landing will be telecast live from 1.10 a.m on Doordarshan, webcast on ISRO website and streamed on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

Things are progressing as per plan: ISRO chief

Hours before Chandrayaan-2's 'Vikram' module's proposed soft landing on the Lunar surface, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said on Friday things are progressing as per plan for the much-awaited event.

"Everything... sensors, computers, command systems... has to work perfectly. But we are confident in the sense we have conducted a large number of simulations on the ground; it gives us the confidence it would go alright," a seniorofficial said.

'It was great travelling with you so far Vikram'

An enthusiastic PM Modi hails the mission as manifestation of nation's talent

One of the pictures realeased by the space agency ISRO, from the first set of pictures of the earth captured by Chandrayaan 2, the country's second Moon mission launched a fortnight ago.

The long wait

The lunar missionwas first scheduled in 2013, which was later postponed to 2016 as Russia was unable to develop the lander on time. It was further scheduled to launch in 2018, as ISRO was still not confident to pull it off, the mission was further delayed to July 2019. On July 15, the rover experienced a technical snag and it was once again held over. The next date was fixed to July 22. It was finally launched from Sriharikota.