PM Narendra Modi hails ISRO scientists; says India proud of them

As the nation eagerly awaited for India's ambitious Moon mission Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander to touch down near the south pole of the Moon, ISRO lost contact minutes before its landing. Chandrayaan-2's landing module, named Vikram, started its final descent to pull off a historic soft landing on the lunar surface but lost touch with the space agency. Vikram houses the six-wheeled rover Pragyaan that was supposed to explore the lunar surface for around 14 Earth days. Stay tuned with ibtimes.co.in for latest updates on Chandrayaan-2.

As ISRO chief K Sivan broke down, PM Narendra Modi lent a sympathetic shoulder to him and consoled him.

"As important as the final result is the journey & the effort. I can proudly say that the effort was worth it & so was the journey. Our team worked hard, travelled far & those teachings will always remain with us. The learnings 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," says Narendra Modi.

PM Narendra Modi: "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 & gone on to do spectacular things. This is the reason why our civilization stands tall."

PM Modi, in his address, said, "You are those who live for Maa Bharti, you live to see her triumph. You are those who fight for Maa Bharti. You are those who have a passion for serving Maa Bharti. You are those who devote their entire lives to see Maa Bharti's head held high."

PM Modi said, "Friends I could feel what you were going through a few hours back, your eyes were conveying a lot. You live for India's honour, I salute you."

After ISRO lost contact with the Chandaryaan-2 lander this morning, the mood at the space agency control room in Bengaluru quickly changed from jubilation to despair.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation at 8 am on Saturday from ISRO's control centre in Bengaluru and interact with scientists of the space agency, in the backdrop of Chandrayaan-2's lander Vikram losing contact with ground stations.

In a tweet, Isro said, "Honorable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will address the nation from Isro Control Centre today (September 07, 2019) at 0800 hrs IST."

The space agency cancelled the press conference that was scheduled to take place after Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander's touchdown on the Moon's surface.

Chandrayaan-2 mission suffered a technical glitch moments before Vikram's landing was scheduled on Moon's surface. Isro chief Dr K Sivan said, "Data is being analysed. Vikram Lander's descent went as planned and everything was normal till it was 2.1km above the lunar surface."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was witnessing the historic landing of the Chandrayaan-2 mission at the ISRO headquarters in Bengaluru told the scientists to be courageous. " There are ups and downs in life. What you have achieved is not a small feat," PM Modi said.

In a tweet, PM Narendra Modi also said, "India is proud of our scientists! They've given their best and have always made India proud. These are moments to be courageous, and courageous we will be! Isro chairman gave updates on Chandrayaan-2. We remain hopeful and will continue working hard on our space programme."

Hours before India's second Moon mission Chandrayaan-2 will make a soft landing on the surface of the moon, ISRO took to Twitter to share a cartoon featuring the lunar orbiter and lander Vikram. "It was great travelling with you so far Vikram. Best of luck! I hope you reach the South Pole soon," said the lunar orbiter. To this, the lander replied, "It was quite the journey indeed! I'll see you around - in the orbit."

Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a series of tweets, urging people to watch the special moments.