Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian techie helps NASA find Vikram lander on Moon

INDIA'S second lunar exploration mission- Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander, which crashed on the surface of the Moon in September, has been found by NASA, the US space agency confirmed on Tuesday (3), lauding a Chennai-based techie who helped it trace the debris of India's ambitious lunar mission by spending hours comparing before and after images of the landing site.

NASA's confirmation came nearly three months after India's Chandrayaan-2 mission made a hard landing near the uncharted lunar south pole in the wee hours of September 7.


"The Chandrayaan2 Vikram lander has been found by our NASA Moon mission, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. See the first mosaic of the impact site," NASA said in a tweet sharing before and after impact images.

On September 7, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) attempted a soft landing of Vikram on the Moon.

However, ISRO lost contact with Vikram shortly before the scheduled touchdown.

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) team had released the first mosaic of images acquired during its September 17 flyby of the Moon.

The US space agency released a mosaic image of the site on September 26 (but taken on September 17), inviting people to compare it with images of the same area before the crash to find signs of the lander.

The first person to come up with a positive identification was Chennai-based IT professional Shanmuga Subramanian, who confirmed the identification of the crashing site of Vikram by comparing before and after images.

"The debris first located by Shanmuga is about 750 metres northwest of the main crash site and was a single bright pixel identification in that first mosaic," NASA said.

After receiving this tip, the LROC team confirmed the identification by comparing the before and after images.

"When the images for the first mosaic were acquired the impact point was poorly illuminated and thus not easily identifiable," NASA said in a statement, adding that two subsequent image sequences were acquired on October 14 and 15, and November 11.

The LROC team scoured the surrounding area in these new mosaics and found the impact point about 2,500 feet to the southeast of the planned touchdown site, and a spray of debris emanating outward.

The November mosaic had the best pixel scale (0.7 metre) and lighting conditions (72 degrees incidence angle), NASA said.

"The November mosaic shows best the impact crater, ray and extensive debris field. The three largest pieces of debris are each about 2x2 pixels and cast a one pixel shadow," the statement said.

On October 3, Subramanian, a Chennai-based mechanical engineer, had tagged the twitter handles of NASA, LRO and ISRO in a tweet, asking, "Is this Vikram lander? (1 km from the landing spot) Lander might have been buried in Lunar sand?".

On November 17, he further zeroed in on his observations and tweeted out the possible crash site of the lander.

"This might be Vikram lander's crash site (Lat:-70.8552 Lon:21.71233 ) & the ejecta that was thrown out of it might have landed over here … (The one on the left side was taken on July 16th & one on the right side was from Sept 17)," he said in a tweet accompanying the images.

As it turns out, Subramanian was spot on with his inferences, and now NASA has lauded him for finding the lander.

"NASA has credited me for finding Vikram Lander on Moon's surface VikramLander  Chandrayaan2," Subramanian said in another tweet on Tuesday.

"Thank you for your email informing us of your discovery of debris from the Vikram lander. The LROC team confirmed that the location does exhibit changes in images taken before and after the date of the landing," said deputy project scientist Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission John Keller.

"Using this information, the LROC team did additional searches in the area and located the site of the primary impact as well as other debris around the impact location and has announced the sighting on the NASA and ASU pages where you have been given credit for your observation," Keller said.

"I apologise for the delay in getting back to you. We needed to be certain of our interpretation of the observation as well as making sure that all stakeholders had an opportunity to comment before we could before we could announce the results. Congratulations for what i am sure was a lot of time and effort on your part," the scientist in his letter to Subramanian who shared it on Twitter.

Ever since ISRO lost contact with Vikram, NASA had made several attempts to locate the Chandrayaan-2 lander with the help of its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

The LRO flew over Vikram's landing site once on September 17 and next on October 14.

Chandrayaan-2 mission to the Moon launched in July. If the spacecraft had reached the surface in one piece on September 7, India would have been only the fourth country to successfully put a lander on the Moon.

(PTI)

More For You

Andrew Tate Sued by Ex-Girlfriend Brianna Stern Over Sexual Assault Allegations

Tate’s attorney, Joseph McBride, has dismissed the lawsuit

Getty

Andrew Tate faces sexual assault lawsuit from ex-girlfriend Brianna Stern

Social media personality Andrew Tate is facing a new lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend, Brianna Stern, who has accused him of sexual assault, battery, and gender violence. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, details allegations of abuse and an incident that allegedly took place at The Beverly Hills Hotel on 11 March 2025.

Allegations in the lawsuit

According to the legal complaint, Stern claims that Tate initially appeared as a "dream come true" but later became emotionally and physically abusive. The lawsuit describes a violent encounter at the hotel, where she alleges Tate physically assaulted and threatened her.

Keep ReadingShow less
Voices of Faith 2025: A journey through spirituality and wisdom

Soumik Datta (R) and Gurdain Singh Rayatt

Voices of Faith 2025: A journey through spirituality and wisdom

Mahesh Liloriya

The inaugural edition of Voices of Faith commenced on Friday at the iconic Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, marking the beginning of an extraordinary three-day festival exploring theological philosophies, interfaith dialogues, and the deeper essence of spirituality through conversations, music, and healing vibes.

Organised by Teamwork Arts, the creators of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) and JLF London, Voices of Faith is presented by the Kamini and Vindi Banga Family Trust, with the support of Tech Mahindra. Eastern Eye and Garavi Gujarat serve as the official media partners of this landmark event. This unique festival seeks to offer insights into navigating the complexities of modern life through the timeless wisdom enshrined in global religious traditions. It focuses on the universal ideals of compassion and interconnectedness that underpin the world’s faiths, fostering dialogue that transcends barriers and deepens mutual understanding.

Keep ReadingShow less
Court reopens Asian child sex offender's deportation case

Home Office successfully challenged a ruling that allowed him to remain in Britain (Photo for representation: iStock)

Court reopens Asian child sex offender's deportation case

A PAKISTANI man convicted of sexually assaulting a child under 13 will face a fresh deportation hearing after the Home Office successfully challenged a ruling that allowed him to remain in Britain, reported The Times.

The offender, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had initially won his case to stay in the UK after claiming he would face "inhuman or degrading treatment" if sent back to Pakistan due to his alcoholism.

Keep ReadingShow less
India launches Operation Brahma to aid quake-hit Myanmar

Rescue teams work to save residents trapped under the rubble of the destroyed Sky Villa Condominium development in Mandalay on March 29, 2025. (Photo by SAI AUNG MAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

India launches Operation Brahma to aid quake-hit Myanmar

INDIA has swiftly responded to the devastating earthquake in Myanmar by launching Operation Brahma, sending emergency relief and rescue teams to the disaster-stricken nation.

A C-130J military transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force landed in Yangon on Saturday (29), carrying 15 tonnes of relief supplies including hygiene kits, blankets and food parcels. The aid mission comes after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday (28), killing more than 1,000 people and injuring nearly 2,400 others.

Keep ReadingShow less
Britain’s happiness crisis: UK hits record low in global wellbeing rankings

Pakistan stands at 109th place out of 147 countries

Britain’s happiness crisis: UK hits record low in global wellbeing rankings

THE UK has experienced a significant blow to its national morale, plummeting to 23rd place in the World Happiness Report for 2025 – its lowest ranking ever – despite being the world’s sixth richest nation.

Released to mark the UN’s International Day of Happiness last Thursday (20), the report provided a nuanced exploration of national contentment that extends far beyond economic measurements.

Keep ReadingShow less