Modi addresses India after moon landing fails

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered words of encouragement Saturday hours after India's failed attempt to land a craft on the moon.

"There will be a new dawn and a brighter tomorrow very soon," he said. "We don't have to look back, we need to take lessons and move ahead till the objective of the mission is fulfilled."

The India Space Research Organization (ISRO) lost contact with it Chandrayaan-2's Vikram lander minutes before it was to land on the lunar surface.

"We will rise to the occasion and scale newer heights of success. To our scientists I want to say - India is with you! You are exceptional professionals who have made an incredible contribution to national progress."

The mission would have made India the fourth country after the United States, Russia and China to carry out a soft landing on moon.

The Chandrayaan 2 was launched July 22 to reach near the moon's south pole. It is a three-module spacecraft comprising an orbiter, lander and rover.

It was the first Indian expedition to attempt a soft landing on the lunar surface.