‘India is with you’: Modi embraces teary-eyed space chief after failed Moon landing (VIDEO)

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief Kailasavadivoo Sivan broke down in tears on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s shoulder after the country’s attempt at its first ever Moon landing failed to go as planned.

Modi tried to console a heartbroken and teary-eyed Sivan outside an ISRO site, giving him a long, warm hug while patting him on the back.

The prime minister returned to the ISRO center in Bangalore on Saturday morning, after a sleepless night when the nation watched what was to be India’s first ever Moon landing.

Everything initially went according to plan. The Chandrayaan 2 orbiter deployed the Vikram (valor) lander, which set a course for the Moon’s South Pole. The descent seemed to be going well until the lander suddenly lost contact with ground control during its final stages. The lander was to deploy the Pragyan (wisdom) rover to explore the Moon’s surface, but it is now unclear whether that will happen.

From its takeoff in July, the Chandrayaan 2 mission has been much-publicized in the media and was expected to be a historic triumph for the nation. For years, India has had its sights set on joining the US, the Soviet Union, and China in the elite group of nations that have landed on the Moon.

Despite the disappointing setback, Modi urged everyone to remain optimistic. “You came as close as you could, stay steady and look ahead,” he told the ISRO scientists on Saturday. “The best is yet to come in our space program. India is with you.”

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