A temporary setback

There will be a lot to learn from Chandrayaan-2 Mission

Although the loss of the Vikram lander has caused deep disappointment, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) can take away many positives from the Chandrayaan-2 Mission. Attempting a soft lunar landing was an ambitious goal and something going wrong was always a possibility. Two out of every three such attempts failed in the past, including an Israeli mission that crashed earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is functioning well. So it’s not as if the mission has entirely failed. The orbiter itself carries eight instruments designed for different experiments and observations. This is not to deny that the loss