How A Sudden Somersault Did Vikram In

Data and readings offer an exclusive glimpse into how the Chandrayaan-2 lander Vikram lost contact with Earth during its attempt to land on the Moon

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An inexplicable flip that turned the Chandrayaan-2 lander upside down moments before it was to land on the Moon may explain what happened last Saturday, when the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lost all contact with the Vikram lander.

Data and readings from the Vikram lander's descent on to the lunar surface, gathered and reported by Raj Chengappa, Group Editorial Director (Publishing), in the current issue of the India Today Magazine, offer an exclusive glimpse into how the Chandrayaan-2 lander lost contact with Earth during its attempt to land on the Moon.

In the early hours of September 6, the Chandrayaan-2 lander began its descent on to the lunar surface.

The descent was to last around 15 minutes and initially everything seemed to be going according to plan.

Around 11 minutes after Vikram began its decent, things went haywire.

- At that point, Vikram was supposed to rotate slightly so that its cameras could map the lunar surface for a suitable landing site.