Abu Dhabi: United Arab Emirates (UAE) Space Agency on Saturday extended support to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after its maiden attempt to land the “Vikram” lander on the south pole of the moon.
“We assure our full support to #ISRO following the loss of contact with their spacecraft, #Chandrayaan2 which had to land on the moon. India proved to be a strategic player in the space sector & a partner in its development & achievements,” tweeted United Arab Emirates Space Agency.
The communication with Vikram lander was lost in the wee hours of Saturday, moments before its scheduled landing on the south pole region of the moon. 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 in its existing orbit.
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.