NASA's Moon Orbiter tries to locate Vikram Lander, again
What's the story
After failing to locate Vikram Lander last month, NASA has conducted another flyby of the Chandrayaan-2 landing site to help ISRO find the silent contraption and assess its condition. Vikram was supposed to touch the lunar south pole back on September 7, but due to some error, it lost its way during descent and hard-landed at a different location. Here's what went down.
Flyby
First flyby failed to locate or photograph Vikram
On September 17, the American space agency conducted a flyby of Vikram's targeted landing site but failed to locate or photograph the contraption as it was dusk at that time. The region was dimly-lit and the agency predicted that Vikram, which had steered away from the planned descent trajectory after going haywire, could be hiding in the long shadows prevalent in the area.
Second flyby
Now, the agency has conducted another flyby
On October 14, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) flew over the region where Vikram was supposed to land for the second time. The team behind the orbiter has not yet released an update, but the lighting in the region is believed to be favorable, which means there's a good chance that we might get the location and photos of Vikram this time around.
Survival
However, chances of Vikram's survival unlikely
The photographic data captured and released by LRO's camera will help ISRO understand what might have happened to Vikram after losing its way while hard-landing at a site not so far from the targeted lost. It could show us the condition of the Lander, which previous reports had indicated may have tripped on its side but is still in one piece.
Contact
No hope for contact now
Having said that, it's important to note that there's little to no hope of establishing contact with Vikram. The Lander was not designed to bear the cold temperatures of lunar nights and is most probably dead by now. Meanwhile, the Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter is healthy and capturing a range of data while circling the Moon. It is expected to operate for the next 6-7 years.