International support pours in for ISRO after losing contact with lunar lander

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) attempt to soft land near the Moon’s South Pole ended in loss of contact with the lunar lander, Vikram.
  
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency have expressed their support for ISRO.
  
• Mauritius, Maldives, Vietnam, Bhutan, and Bulgaria also offered words of encouragement for India and ISRO.
  

India’s second mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan 2, might not have been a complete success but nations from all over the world are rallying their support.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) tweeted that it is ‘inspired’ by India’s attempt to soft land on the Moon.


NASA’s laser retroreflectors were onboard the lunar lander, Vikram, which is no longer sending any signals back to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Space Agency also came in support of ISRO. The director of the organisation, Mohammed AlAhbabi, stated that losing contact with the lunar lander ‘is not the end of success’ for India. He even called India ‘a great space power’.


Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth echoed NASA’s interest in collaborating with India on space missions. He tweeted that despite the landing not being successful, it’s still a ‘major technological advancement’ for the Indian space programme.



The Bulgarian foreign ministry also chimed in to congratulate India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on India’s endeavour to land on the Moon. Despite being unsuccessful, Bulgaria believes this can lay the groundwork for India’s next attempt.



Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering too is confident that India will definitely ‘make it happen one day’. Just the hard work and courage that went into attempting such a feat is ‘historical’, according to Tshering.


Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih shares a similar opinion that ISRO’s headway with Chandrayaan 2 advances the ‘cause of human scientific progress’.


To cap it off, Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister tweeted on an optimistic note that ‘this is just the beginning of the story’.


See also:
Chandrayaan 2’s orbiter has seven and a half years to scan the surface of the Moon

Chandrayaan 2 loses contact with the lander in the final seconds of the descent to Moon's surface

Moon landing drama: Play by play of ISRO losing communication with Chandrayaan 2's lander