NASA Confirms Discovery of India’s Chandrayaan-2 Vikram Lander Crash Site on the Moon

A high-resolution image captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter highlights the impact site and scattered debris of India’s Chandrayaan-2 Vikram lander, which made a hard landing near the Moon’s south pole in September 2019.

Washington / Bengaluru:
More than two months after India lost contact with its ambitious Chandrayaan-2 Vikram lander during a historic attempt to touch down near the Moon’s south polar region, the United States space agency NASA has confirmed the discovery of the lander’s wreckage on the lunar surface. The confirmation came after high-resolution images captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) revealed the precise impact site and scattered debris of the Indian spacecraft.

NASA released the images publicly in early December, putting an end to weeks of speculation over the fate and final location of Vikram. The agency stated that the lander was found following a careful comparison of “before” and “after” images of the Moon’s surface, taken by the LRO’s powerful cameras.

“The Chandrayaan-2 Vikram lander has been found by our NASA Moon mission, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter,” NASA said in an official statement shared on social media. The agency also published the first mosaic image of the impact site, offering the clearest visual evidence yet of what happened during India’s ill-fated landing attempt.

Images Reveal Impact Site and Debris Field

The newly released mosaic image highlights theVikram lander’s impact area using blue and green markers, making it easier to identify the debris scattered across the lunar surface. According to NASA, the debris field spans a wide area, indicating that Vikram experienced a “hard landing” rather than the soft, controlled descent originally planned by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

NASA scientists explained that the image was created using data captured at a resolution of approximately 1.3 meters per pixel, with an incidence angle of 84 degrees—conditions that allow surface disturbances to be seen with remarkable clarity. The impact crater, along with the surrounding debris, stands out against the otherwise undisturbed lunar terrain.

The agency noted that at least three large fragments of the lander are clearly visible in the mosaic, each measuring roughly two by two pixels in size. In addition to these larger pieces, numerous smaller fragments appear scattered over the area, suggesting a high-energy impact.

Citizen Scientist Plays Key Role

In a rare example of successful public participation in space exploration, NASA credited an Indian engineer and space enthusiast, Shanmuga Subramanian, for helping identify the Vikram lander’s crash site.

NASA revealed that it had initially released an earlier image of the suspected landing area on September 26, inviting the public to search for signs of the missing lander. Subramanian carefully analyzed the images and reported a potential debris pattern to the LRO project team.

After receiving his submission, NASA scientists conducted a detailed analysis by comparing images taken before Chandrayaan-2’s landing attempt with those captured afterward. This comparison confirmed that the features identified by Subramanian were not naturally occurring but were consistent with an artificial impact.

“Shanmuga Subramanian identified the wreckage located approximately 750 meters northwest of the originally targeted landing site,” NASA said. “The LRO team then confirmed the identity of the lander site through detailed image comparisons.”

The discovery has been widely praised as an example of how open scientific data and citizen science can complement professional research efforts.

A Mission That Captured Global Attention

Chandrayaan-2, India’s second lunar mission, was launched in July 2019 with the goal of conducting advanced scientific studies of the Moon, particularly its largely unexplored south polar region. The mission consisted of three major components: an orbiter, the Vikram lander, and the Pragyan rover.

While the orbiter continues to function successfully and send valuable scientific data back to Earth, the mission suffered a major setback on September 7, 2019, when Vikram lost contact with ISRO during the final moments of its descent. Telemetry data later indicated that the lander deviated from its planned trajectory during the last phase of landing.

ISRO officials subsequently confirmed that Vikram had made a hard landing on the Moon’s surface, bringing hopes of deploying the Pragyan rover to an abrupt end.

Earlier Searches Yielded No Results

In October, NASA had stated that Vikram had not been found in the most recent images taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. At the time, NASA scientists suggested that challenging lighting conditions may have prevented the lander from being detected.

A NASA project scientist explained that when the orbiter photographed the Chandrayaan-2 landing area on October 14, large portions of the region were in shadow due to the low angle of sunlight near the Moon’s south pole.

“It is possible that the lander was hidden in shadow at the time our orbiter took the picture,” the scientist said, adding that additional imaging under different lighting conditions would be required.

Those later images, captured when the Sun’s angle improved, ultimately led to the successful identification of the wreckage.

Understanding the Hard Landing

Experts believe that Vikram’s loss of contact occurred because the lander was unable to sufficiently reduce its velocity during the final phase of descent. Instead of transitioning smoothly from horizontal to vertical motion—a critical step in soft lunar landings—the spacecraft likely descended too rapidly, resulting in a high-impact collision with the surface.

A hard landing typically means the spacecraft strikes the Moon at a speed too great for its structure to remain intact or functional. This contrasts with a soft landing, where descent engines and onboard systems carefully manage speed and orientation to ensure a gentle touchdown.

Despite the setback, space analysts have emphasized that Chandrayaan-2 provided ISRO with invaluable experience and data that can be applied to future missions.

Scientific Value Continues Through Orbiter

Although the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover were lost, Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter remains fully operational and continues to contribute to lunar science. Equipped with advanced instruments, the orbiter is studying the Moon’s surface composition, mineral distribution, and water ice signatures—particularly in permanently shadowed regions near the poles.

ISRO officials have repeatedly stressed that the mission should not be viewed as a failure, noting that the orbiter alone is expected to generate scientific data for several years.

NASA has also acknowledged the significance of Chandrayaan-2’s objectives, particularly its focus on the lunar south pole, an area of growing international interest due to the potential presence of water ice that could support future human exploration.

A Setback, Not an End

The confirmation of Vikram’s crash site marks the final chapter of one phase of India’s lunar ambitions, but it also underscores the complexity and risk inherent in space exploration. Even experienced spacefaring nations have faced repeated failures in attempting soft landings on the Moon.

For ISRO, the lessons learned from Chandrayaan-2 are expected to inform future missions, including follow-up lunar landers and potential international collaborations.

NASA’s release of the images and its transparent explanation of the discovery process have been widely welcomed, reinforcing the spirit of cooperation between the global space science community.

As humanity continues its renewed push toward the Moon, the story of Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram lander serves as a reminder that progress in space is often built on both successes and setbacks—each providing knowledge that moves exploration forward.

 

You May Also Like

Loading...