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ISRO has put curtains on its first ever moon mission operation, Chandrayaan-1, after the radio contact with the lunar craft was lost in the wee hours of Saturday.
"At the moment, we have suspended the operation. Calling off the mission depends on what elements we get back. Whether there is any possibility of restoring contact with the spacecraft. These things are being investigated”, said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman, G. Madhavan Nair.
The last data was received from Chandrayaan-1 at 00:25 IST and these data are being analyzed by the space scientists at the ISRO.
"Right now, our scientists are trying to analyse the data to pinpoint what has gone wrong. Maybe, within the next 24 hours, we will have some results. If we do not establish contact with the spacecraft again, we have a serious problem," Nair said.
Explaining how the DSN lost radio contact at 00:30 IST, Nair has revealed that the response received from the spacecraft as not good when commands were sent to the spacecraft.
"Data from the previous orbit showed that when the spacecraft passed over our region, it was quite healthy and all the instruments were functioning normally. We have not looked at the detail of the individual sub-systems. That exercise we are doing now," Nair pointed out.
When the DSN did not have radio contact after an hour's gap, the spacecraft was over the US ground station, which reported that only the carrier was present. It was not a very healthy sign.
Admitting that the development was a disappointment, Nair said the space scientists were hoping to increase the length of the mission.
"I would have been happier if it would have survived for some more time. Then we would have had an opportunity to revisit some of the spots where we have collected excellent images," Nair pointed out.
