Political parties in TN ask ISRO scientists not to get

: Political parties in Tamil Nadu on Saturday praised the dedication of ISRO scientists and asked them not to get disheartened by the Chandrayaan 2 mission setback.

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam, in his message to ISRO scientists, said it has reached great heights by making remarkable achievements in the Indian space programme.

"I extend my hearty wishes on behalf of Tamils to ISRO Chairman K Sivan and other scientists who have toiled hard for the Chandrayaan-2 programme", he tweeted.

#WeAreProudOfYouISRO#IndiaWithISRO, he said.

DMK leader M K Stalin also hailed the efforts of ISRO scientists.

"Thank You Team @isro for inspiring a billion people to look towards outer space and place our faith in the power of science and technology. We are proud of our scientists for taking us farther than before #Chandrayaan2", Stalin tweeted.

PMK leader S Ramadoss said that the setback of losing communication from the lander was temporary and setbacks were not new to space exploration.

"Chandrayaan-2 is a wonderful mission. ISRO scientists need to be praised", he said in a statement.

MDMK chief Vaiko said "It as painful that the orbiter which was circling the Moon for 23 days lost communication with the base station when it was nearing the surface of the moon to make a soft landing,".

In a statement, he pointed out that no one in the country had criticised the setback of the mission and hoped that Indian scientists would prove themselves in future missions.

Noted agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan said success and failure both help in progress.

"@ISRO has our admiration. @PMOIndia expressed views of Indians in general and scientists in particular. Success will come soon. I thank and congratulate you and your team for placing India on the world's space technology map.", he said in his twitter account to ISRO Chairman K Sivan.

Actor-politician Kamal Hassan also heaped praise on ISRO scientists, saying the mission was not a tantamount failure, but a 'precious learning moment'.

"This does not tantamount to failure. In Research and Development, there will be a learning curve. This is that precious learning moment.

We will soon be on the Moon, Thanks to #ISRO. The Nation believes and applauds ISRO", Hassan, who is the founder of Makkal Needhi Maiam, tweeted.

ISRO's plan to soft land Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander on the surface of the moon did not go as expected in the early hours of Saturday, after communication was lost with ground stations when it was 2.1kms above the lunar surface.