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 NASA says ISRO’s attempt to soft-land Vikram module on the lunar South Pole has “inspired” it

NASA has lauded India’s historic Chandrayaan-2 mission, saying the Indian Space Research Organisation’s attempt to soft-land Vikram module on the lunar South Pole has “inspired” it and the U.S. space agency is looking forward to explore the solar system with its Indian counterpart.

ISRO’s plan to soft-land Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram module on the uncharted South Pole did not go as per script on Saturday, with the lander losing communication with ground stations during its final descent.

“Space is hard. We commend ISRO’s attempt to land their Chandrayaan2 mission on the Moon’s South Pole. You have inspired us with your journey and look forward to future opportunities to explore our solar system together,” NASA said in a tweet on Saturday.
Former NASA astronaut Jerry Linenger told PTI on Saturday that the lessons learnt from India’s “bold attempt” to soft land Chandrayaan-2’s Vikram module on the lunar surface will help the country during its follow up missions.

“We should not be too discouraged. India was trying to do something very, very difficult. In fact, everything was going as planned as the lander came down,” Linenger said.