Chandrayaan 2 setback: ISRO chief Sivan breaks down, PM Modi consoles him
Bangalore: India woke up to witness a heart-touching video where Indian PM Narendra Modi could be seen consoling teary-eyed ISRO chief K Sivan, hours after the landmark event faced a setback when communication with the Chandrayaan 2 lander was lost in the final moments on Saturday.
In the video, Modi could be seen hugging and consoling the emotional ISRO chief.
Hours after communication with the Chandrayaan 2 lander was lost, Indian PM Narendra Modi on Saturday morning addressed the scientists involved with the mission and said the country will witness a 'brighter tomorrow'.
This is how a true leader uplifts his team. Through unstinted support and warmth! pic.twitter.com/8eBdbM0szZ
— BJP (@BJP4India) September 7, 2019
" There will be a new dawn and a brighter tomorrow very soon," Modi said.
"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," he said.
"In our glorious 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," Modi said.
He said India will rise to new heights of success.
"We will rise to the occasion and scale newer heights of success. To our scientists I want to say- India is with you! You are exceptional professionals who have made an incredible contribution to national progress," he said.
While India waited with bated breath to watch live the landing of Chandrayaan 2 on lunar surface, disappointment greeted them in the wee hours of Saturday when ISRO Chairman after tense moments said they have lost communication with Lander Vikram at the last stage (2.1 km above the Moon's surface). It cannot be said if the mission is a complete failure at this stage as ISRO scientists hope for a miracle.
"VikramLander descent was as planned and normal performance was observed up to an altitude of 2.1 km. Subsequently, communication from Lander to the ground stations was lost. Data is being analyzed," said a rather grim-faced Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chief K Sivan.
India was expecting to script a space history by becoming the first nation to reach closest to the Moon's south pole.
India remained glued to the television sets and internet and platforms on social media to watch the proud moment live while at the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) mission control room in Bengaluru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India's galaxy of space scientists and some 70-odd students from across the country and even Bhutan were present to witness the event.
The Chandrayaan 2 soft landing on the lunar surface was to occur at 1:55 am on Saturday.
The moon lander Vikram, which separated from its orbiting mothership, earlier performed two manoeuvres.
Image: BJP Twitter page video grab
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