NEW DELHI: Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chairman K Sivan has clarified that “98% success rate for the Chandrayaan-2 mission” stated by him earlier was “actually an initial assessment of the committee”, which was set up to look into the reasons of Vikram losing contact with the control room during the final descent on the lunar surface.

Sivan said, “The committee arrived at the figure after considering all the milestones achieved during the mission: From the launch of Chandrayaan-2 till the final descent of the lander. The liftoff of launcher (GSLVMKIII) was successful and thereafter, the module’s earth-bound manouevres, trans-lunar injection , lunar-orbit insertion, lunar-orbit manoeuvres and lander-orbiter separation were all perfect. Even the final descent of Vikram till the last leg was perfect.” The Isro chief said the committee would submit its final report to the PMO in a few days.

On the day of the final descent of Vikram lander on September 7, Sivan said, “When I had informed PM Narendra Modi about the control room losing contact with the lander, he consoled me. Though I don’t remember his exact wordings as I was in tense mood, what he meant was, ‘You don’t worry, you take care. Everything will be alright’. Later that morning, after he had addressed Isro scientists, he hugged me as I was emotional.”

Sivan said the space agency has lined up a series of key satellite and interplanetary missions in the next 2 to 3 years. He said that “Aditya L1 (sun) mission will be launched by April next year”. On the launch of India’s human spaceflight mission or Gaganyaan by December 2021, Sivan said the two unmanned missions before the final mission would be launched where a humanoid will also be used. “We will first perfect all our technologies in unmanned missions, then only we will send humans to space,” he said.

