PM Modi consoled ISRO chief K Sivan, hours after contact was lost with Chandrayaan 2 lander.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address and outpouring of support and kind words for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after the unsuccessful bid by Chandrayaan-2's Vikram module to touch-down on the lunar surface have boosted the morale of its scientists, space agency's Chairman K Sivan said today.

"We are extremely happy. It has boosted the morale of our people," K Sivan said.

Former ISRO Chariman K Kasturirangan praised the Prime Minister for inspiring, encouraging and reassuring Mr Sivan and the ISRO team and fully backing them. "We are so touched. The country has given a good, positive response. PM was incredible yesterday," he said.

"The way he (PM) conveyed it... so passionate... so emotional and sometimes rich with meanings and positive responses. I think we could not have expected anything better. Fantastic," he added.

Another former ISRO chief AS Kiran Kumar said: "We are definitely grateful to the nation and the PM."

There are hundreds and thousands of variations that were possible for the soft-landing mission, indicating the complexities, he said. "We appreciate that the country and people were able to actually take note of this and continue to give their support. So, it's very positive. We are grateful to the entire country," he added.

In his address, the Prime Minister asked ISRO scientists not to get disheartened by the setback in the soft-landing mission and said that there would be a "new dawn and brighter tomorrow" very soon.

The Prime Minister on Saturday hugged an emotional K Sivan, who was in tears after lander Vikram's unsuccessful bid to soft-land on

the moon.

India had expected to make space history with the Rs. 1,000-crore Chandrayaan 2 mission. A successful soft landing on the moon's surface would have made the country only the fourth - after the United States, Russia and China - to achieve the feat.

It would also have made India the first country to complete a soft landing near the South Pole on its first attempt.