ISRO lost communication with moon lander, not hopes of 1.3 billion Indians: Vice president on Chandrayaan-2

There is nothing to despair, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Saturday as ISRO lost contact with its moon lander.

ISRO's plan to soft land Chandrayaan-2's Vikram module on the lunar surface did not go as per script in the early hours of Saturday, with the lander losing communication with ground stations during its final descent.

"There is nothing to despair. ISRO only lost communication with the Lander & not the hopes of 1.3 billion Indians," Naidu's secretariat tweeted.

The vice president said the orbiter with its payloads is performing its mission.

"I salute @isro scientists, engineers & everyone else associated with Chandrayaan-2 for their hard work & dedication in trying to conquer new frontiers in space exploration," he said.

Naidu also extended his best wishes for the Indian Space Research Organisation's future endeavours, saying the country is proud of them.