Chandrayaan-2: NASA to Perform a 'Rigorous' Search for Vikram Lander

According to LRO Project Scientist Noah Petro, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) has clicked a new set of pictures under better lighting circumstances of the area where the Indian moon lander Vikram likely ended up and specialists will be making a rigorous search for it. On Wednesday Petro told IANS "The lighting conditions on Monday were much more favorable, (with) less shadow in the region compared to last month”.

NASA said on September 17, Scientists were not able to trace the Vikram in the pictures taken during the (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) LRO's last flyover, when it was dusk on the moon and the long shadows that enclosed much of the land may be hidden in it.

Petro said, "We will do a careful search, we will be as rigorous as possible" and "we will find out shortly" what occurred to the Vikram moon lander, who is built at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland near Washington.

“NASA scientists are predictable to release these pictures after correct evaluation in the next five days. If LROC is successful in taking the exact location of Vikram lander, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will be able to classify what went wrong with the lunar lander.

Vikram lost contact with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) following its launch from Chandraayan 2 moon orbiter on September 6 and likely landed in an area around the moon's South Pole.

Petro said, LRO will next fly around the region on November 10 and it will be another A good chance with favorable lighting situations for pictures.

Also, Read