Focus on future says ISRO chief, as attempts to contact Vikram Lander fades

Bengaluru, Sep 11: ISRO Chairman, Sivan has instructed scientists to focus on future works.

ISRO had on Saturday lost contact with the Vikram Lander when it was just 2.1 kilometres from a soft landing. Several attempts were made to communicate with the lander, but those have failed until date.

ISRO said that the Vikram Lander has been located by the Orbiter but there has been no communication with it as yet. All efforts are being made to track the lander, ISRO also said.

The question is how long can ISRO take to communicate with the lander? The pre-launch estimates stated that the lander would get clear sunlight for 14 earth days or one lunar day.

This means that ISRO can keep trying for one lunar day. After this would be a long cold night and during this time the systems will not survive. This means that ISRO would have to make contact within 14 earth days.

ISRO has been using its 32-metre antenna installed at Byalalu. The lander is equipped with three transponders and a phased array antenna. Until now, ISRO has not communicated with the lander. This means there is no information as yet on whether the systems on the lander are in good condition or have been damaged.

Had Vikram landed as planned, it would have picked up the sun's energy and also generated power. In addition to this, there is also a battery. ISRO is yet to confirm if the lander is generating power or not. ISRO chairman, Sivan says that they are still analysing the data. ISRO is yet to confirm if some of the systems on the lander have been damaged due to a hard landing.