"You are among those who live and work hard to take India to new heights," PM tells ISRO scientists..

Hours after witnessing Chandrayaan 2's journey towards the Moon where its lander lost communication with ISRO, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was back at the space agency's headquarters in Bengaluru to meet scientists who were part of the mission. "You all came ever so close, as close as one could be to success. Learn from your experience and move forward, look forward. Carry on the work you do, for there will be many opportunities ahead and many missions ahead," PM Modi told the scientists. PM Modi was among those present at ISRO's mission control room to watch what could have made India the first nation to reach closest to the lunar south pole. ISRO lost contact with Chandrayaan 2 lander when it was about 2.1 km from the Moon surface.

The ambitious Chandrayaan 2 mission, however, has been far from a flop. With a mission life of one year, the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter remains in operation and will continue to study the Moon from afar. "Only 5 per cent of the mission has been lost - Vikram the lander and Pragyan the rover - while the remaining 95 per cent - that is the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter - is orbiting the moon successfully," an official at ISRO told news agency IANS.

Here are highlights of PM Modi's address to the nation after ISRO lost contact with Chandrayaan 2 Lander: