Fact check: Don't fall for these fake viral images of Chandrayaan-2's vikram lander

New Delhi, Sep 09: The news of Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander being located on the lunar surface by ISRO on Sunday has lent a ray of hope among Indians of the space agency re-establishing contact with the module, with many of them expressing their emotions on social media, while keeping their fingers crossed.

From Twitter to Facebook, netizens expressed a range of sentiments - pride, curiosity, hope and patriotism and many shared pictures of the lander or the Indian tricolour.

Riding big on the Chandrayaan-2 development, several pictures of the "Vikram lander spotted" started trending on Twitter.

The images were also were attributed wrogly to "being released ISRO Chief K.Sivan."

Jonathan O'Callaghan, a space journalist, has pointed out that these images are fake. A quick fact check of the image also leads you to the 'Apollo 16 landing site.'

So much misinformation being shared about the #VikramLander at the moment. For one, this image being shared is not a picture of the lander. It is the Apollo 15 lunar landing site. pic.twitter.com/S6XYiDKafr

— Jonathan O’Callaghan (@Astro_Jonny) September 8, 2019

Finally, Vikram Lander Is Found😍💯🇮🇳 Pakistani Trollers How Are You ?#IndiaOnTheMoon #ProudOfYouISRO pic.twitter.com/zMeuoksFqe

— ᴀʏᴜꜱʜ ʀᴀɪ (@Izzuz_) September 8, 2019

Is this is a vikram lander.#VikramLanderFound pic.twitter.com/pZWRCHkuM2

— Gagan Chaudhary (@ItsGaganKumar) September 8, 2019

#VikramLanderFound This is the latest image of Vikram Lander , Realesed by ISRO Chief K.Sivan Sir pic.twitter.com/LVXksQkhpY

— ADITYA TOTAD🇮🇳🇮🇳 (@AdityaTotad) September 8, 2019

Not losing hope, the Indian Space Research Organisation continued to make all-out efforts to establish 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 Saturday.

Chandrayaan 2 comprises an orbiter, lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan). The mission life of the lander and rover is one Lunar day, which is equal to 14 earth days.