Australian Space agency applauds ISRO's Chandrayaan-2 attempt

Adelaide, Sep 08: The Australian Space Administration (NASA) on Sunday applauded ISRO's attempt to place 'Vikram' lander of Chandrayaan 2 mission on the moon's south pole.

In a tweet, the agency wrote,''The Vikram Lander was just a few kilometres short of realising its mission to the Moon. To the team at ISRO, we applaud your efforts and the commitment to continue our journey into space.''

The UAE Space Agency, meanwhile, assured ISRO of its support in the future.

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.

The lander lost communication with ground stations during its final descent. ISRO officials said, adding that the orbiter of Chandrayaan-2 second lunar mission remains healthy and safe.

ISRO chairman K Sivan announced that communication with the lander was lost at 2.1 km from the lunar surface.

The Vikram lander successfully separated from Chandrayaan 2 orbiter on September 2. The Chandrayaan 2 orbiter continues to orbit the moon.

After revolving around the Earth's orbit for nearly 23 days, the spacecraft began its journey to the moon on August 14. The mission took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 22.

In his address to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed ISRO's scientists saying that they live for the country and irrespective of setbacks, the country's resolve to reach the moon has strengthened more.