India fails first attempt to land on Moon

India’s first attempt to land on the moon suffered a major setback on Saturday after the country’s space agency lost contact with the lander.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) lost contact with the Moon lander Vikram just before it was due to touch down near the lunar south pole.

The main orbiter Chandrayaan 2 however remains in operation and will continue to study the Moon from afar.

Of the 38 soft-landing attempts made on the moon, only about half have succeeded.

India had hoped its Chandrayaan-2 mission would make it the fourth nation to land on the moon after the United States, Russia and China.

 

 

More from International News

News

  • Four Dubai Metro stations remain closed following storms

    Four Dubai Metro stations remain closed following extreme weather conditions the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has confirmed. Passengers are being urged to check for regular updates to the public transport network.

  • Ajman records tourism growth in 2024

    Ajman witnessed a seven per cent increase in tourism revenue in the first quarter of 2024, driven by a three per cent rise in occupancy rates and a nine per cent growth in visitor numbers compared to the same period in 2023.

  • New gas reserves found in Sharjah

    The Sharjah Petroleum Council (SPC), a Government of Sharjah undertaking, has announced the discovery of new gas reserves in Al Hadiba field, located north of the Al Sajaa Industrial Area in Sharjah.