(instrumental "Vande Mataram")
(upbeat music)
(reporter 1) 7th September 2019.
This day will go down in history as a red-letter day,
when Vikram will fulfil its mission today.
A mission that crowns India as the pioneer
to touch the lunar south pole.
Lunar south pole,
a vital lunar landscape,
coveted by nations across the globe.
(reporter 2) Six months ago,
Israel was almost there.
Russia, China, the US, all are in the race.
But leaving them behind...
(reporter 1) Tonight, India will lead the way,
and its dawn will rise on the Moon.
I bring you this important news
right from the lunar surface.
Now, let's leave the Moon and head towards ISRO.
-(people clamour) -Our correspondent, Jitendra Kumar,
-is with us right now. -Don't land on my surface!
Be it restless kids or our respected Prime Minister,
everyone is waiting with curious eyes for this moment.
Our ISRO chief
and our scientific advisor, Mr. Mohanty,
are having a serious discussion.
You see this, Sankaran?
A new phone.
Who do you think I'll call first?
The representatives of the UN Security Council.
Yes, sir.
We've been waiting for this moment for the last 20 years.
-Is everything set? -Yes.
Please check with the project director.
Okay, sir.
This part
will orbit around the Moon,
-and what do they call it? -(children) An orbiter.
Correct!
What comes out of the orbiter and lands on the Moon...
-(children) The lander! -Yes.
What comes out of the Vikram lander
to carve India's emblem on the Moon...
(Sankaran) Pragyan Rover.
(indistinct announcement over radio)
The rover can only rove
if Arjun's landing program lands Vikram on the Moon.
You're the project director, Yamini.
-You should be checking where he is. -Sir, you know
the concerns before the landing sequence.
-But anything major? -Uh...
Does Arjun need some help?
-(cell phone vibrating) -(tense music)
(siren wails)
(man 1) The Vikram lander is under attack.
The firewall will crumble in three minutes.
How do we control these hackers, Arjun?
(Arjun) Let me think.
(uplifting music)
(siren blaring)
-Yes, ma'am. -(Yamini) Rough braking is
only minutes away, Jairam.
I hope everything is under control.
Uh...
Yes, everything is under control.
We're on the way.
Everything is under control, ma'am.
-Nothing is under control, sir. -(indistinct chatter)
What the hell! How did these foreign hackers
get so close to controlling Vikram?
Our security was military-grade, wasn't it?
That's a great idea.
Sorry. What did I say?
Can I get access to a non-critical satellite
that's not high-security?
(suspenseful music)
These are the sounding satellites of Rohini.
The backup ones.
We launch four every year
for weather monitoring.
(man over radio) Now tracking the Vikram lander.
How is this possible?
Why is he switching Vikram's security protocol?
Relax, bro. Arjun's idea is more secure than the military's.
(satellite whirrs)
(man over radio) Now tracking Rohini RS V7.
The more security you have, the more attacks you face.
If we swap the security protocols of both satellites,
the hackers will target the satellite
with the stronger security
and Vikram will be safe.
(Jairam snapping fingers)
(electronic beeping)
-(man over radio) All clear. -Yes!
-(everyone clapping and cheering) -Thank God!
(triumphant music)
Send an email to the security task force
and check in case there's a loss, okay?
-Sir. -Yes?
Let's go, sir.
The entire world awaits Vikram's landing
and you are busy sending emails. Let's go.
(Arjun) Jairam, we can't afford to make mistakes.
From cyclones to warships,
from morning weather reports to evening food deliveries,
everything is controlled through space.
Space is the new Kargil.
(man over radio) Mission director, roger?
Based on the readiness of the vehicle systems...
(female reporter) As you can see, the place is buzzing with energy.
All of us are excited.
(male reporter) The Vikram lander
is orbiting the Moon at a steady altitude.
The lander will descend towards the Moon in three stages.
-(cell phone vibrates) -The next stage
is the rough braking phase.
(Vikram) Arjun, you'll have to promise me something today.
No, first you make a promise to me.
Promise me you'll be back soon.
I promise. I'll come back home soon.
Now tell me, what promise do you want from me?
(Yamini) Lander ready to start descent.
IDSN ready to track.
(man over radio) All parameters normal.
Ground stations locked. Doppler tracking is good.
Guidance software primed. Descent algorithm loaded.
Ready to track Vikram.
Over to you, Arjun.
Copy that, ma'am.
(tense music)
(uplifting music)
(Arjun) 35 kilometres from the lunar surface.
C2 Orbiter aligned for relay. Horizontal velocity?
2.4 kilometres per second.
Vertical velocity?
Fifty-five meters per second.
Attitude stable.
(radio distorts)
Guidance tracking nominal.
Lander initiating rough braking.
Five.
Four.
Three, two...
-One. -(spacecraft thrusts)
(man 1) The orbiting phase is over.
It's time for a rough braking
where the Vikram lander will press brake on its orbiting speed
and slowly descend towards the Moon.
-(spacecraft thrusts) -(tense music swells)
(Arjun) Roger. Descent guidance active.
Descent started.
The speed is reducing.
Currently at two kilometres per second.
Lander in control, ma'am.
-(all clapping) -(ecstatic music)
(man 2) The rousing applause makes it clear
that the Vikram lander has completed the rough braking phase.
We are moving to the next stage of the landing.
Sir.
The Prime Minister's press briefing.
This one, if we succeed. This one if we fail.
-We don't need this. -(Jitendra) Six kilometres to go.
A major deceleration is required for Vikram.
Keep the success one.
(Yamini) The next stage is the attitude hold phase.
We have 11 minutes.
(man over radio) Copy, Mission director.
All stations, prepare for attitude hold.
All stations report ready. Commencing attitude hold phase.
Guidance nominal. Attitude algorithms engaged.
Telemetry stable, parameters nominal.
Tracking log confirmed. Continuous monitoring active.
Power levels stable, batteries nominal.
(man 1) There was a slight deviation,
but Vikram immediately corrected its course.
(Jitendra) Tense moments now,
with history in the making.
ISRO'S HISTORIC FEAT INDIA ABOUT TO LAND ON THE MOON
(Arjun) Landing coordinate locked.
Fuel gauge fine.
-(tense music) -(keyboard keys clicking)
Initiating fine braking.
(man over radio) Copy that.
All stations stand by for fine braking.
(man 3) Thrusters ready. Fine braking mode active.
(man 4) Telemetry steady. All sensors normal.
Tracking confirmed. Radar lock active.
(man 5) Trajectory stable. Fine braking parameters engaged.
(man 3) Thrusters firing. Fine braking thrust nominal.
Vertical deceleration holding at expected profile.
(man 4) Copy. Systems green.
3 kilometres.
2.9...
2.786.
We'll be on the Moon in 12 seconds or so.
2.634.
2.497.
2.294...
(suspenseful music)
(indistinct chatter)
-(suspenseful music) -(keyboard keys clicking)
Please check... Uh...
If the orbiter is getting a signal from Vikram.
Trying orbiter communication.
(man 1) A few tense moments
as we await the updates.
(Jitendra) Only 12 seconds to go
before we land on the Moon--
(cameraman) You've been parroting that line for the last 12 minutes.
We're live.
Negative.
No signal from Vikram.
(Yamini) Please look again.
We cannot lose Vikram.
We have to find it.
Keep trying. Vikram has to be alive.
We can't lose Vikram like that.
(melancholy music)
(marble clinks)
(sad music)
("Ro Raha Hai Watan" playing)
(sad song continues)
He was alive.
Had the US given us access to the GPS,
we wouldn't have lost so many soldiers in Kargil.
We failed Major Vikram.
We've fallen behind in this technology.
(sad song ends)
(man over radio) All stations, reattempt programs activated.
Begin protocol sequence.
(Jitendra) The effort to reach Vikram is still underway.
But this ominous silence
needs no explanation.
(man over radio) Tracking mode re-acquire active.
Antennas repositioned.
No lock yet. Continuing scan.
They lost communication.
We're trying to find out what went wrong.
(man over radio) Holding the last-known trajectory.
-Nishant. -Yes?
What's this?
The speech for successful landing.
Give it to me.
(paper rustling)
(man over radio) Thrusters on standby
for contingency manoeuvrers.
Where's the failure speech?
You tore that already, sir.
Gather the pieces.
-Idiot! -(man over radio) All calculations,
ready for reattempt.
-Okay. -Standing by for updated telemetry.
What do we do now?
We can't say we don't know anything.
We can update the status.
For now.
Hmm.
Let's do that.
(Yamini) The Vikram lander's descent
was on the expected lines.
All parameters were normal till the altitude of 2.1 km.
(Yamini) But after that, the ground station
lost contact with the Vikram lander.
The data is being analysed.
(female reporter) The events of this evening
near the lunar south pole
mark a serious blow to India's ambitious mission.
A sense of gloom filled the mission control room
as Vikram stopped transmitting updates.
The mission controllers' faces
showed unmistakable signs of despair.
-(melancholy music) -(cameras clicking)
(cello tape rips)
The PM hugged and consoled the ISRO Chief,
but I'm still ready to call you out.
Yamini-ji.
You were the project director, right?
What went wrong today?
Can you explain?
Sir... Ahem...
There are three possibilities.
The first...
soft landing.
In this case, there seems to be a communication error.
Second...
(stapler thuds)
Hard land.
In this case, the computer must've been damaged.
And the third?
The third...
The third case?
The third case...
Crash landing.
Vikram is dead.
No.
This is not acceptable, Dr. Ramaiah.
I want Vikram alive.
Do you get me?
You should understand this, Mohanty sir.
Back in Thumba,
I advised to delay this launch.
This isn't about the launch, Dr. Ramaiah!
This is about landing.
Possibly a failed landing.
As a launch director, please stay out of this.
A landing programmer can have a say, right?
The landing didn't fail. Someone tried to sabotage it.
-Foreign countries-- -This guy is speaking nonsense!
Had that been the case,
the international communities would've condemned it.
Sir, a cyberattack from North Korea--
Arjun, stop!
-I witnessed this first-hand-- -Arjun...
-Ma'am... -Arjun.
Enough.
The more important question
isn't what happened to Vikram, but where Vikram is.
And I hope
you won't forget the mission while you play the blame game.
We know our mission, Mohanty sir.
To land on the south pole of the Moon.
No!
The mission was landing a seat at the space table.
It was as important as a seat in the Security Council.
It still is.
It is still important for our country.
So?
What do you think?
How long will you take to find Vikram?
Sir, right now, we don't...
What did you just say?
(slams hand) Speak up!
Vikram and Pragyan aren't designed
to withstand low temperatures.
The Moon rotates on its axis once every 29 days.
That's why there is light there for only 14 days.
We have
13 days.
Once the lunar night begins,
the temperature of the Moon will plunge to minus 200.
And we'll be a laughingstock all over the world!
You can seek help from Europe or the US.
But you must find Vikram. Alive.
Sir, this...
I've put your speech back together.
-The failure one-- -Enough!
I don't need a failure or a success speech.
-Write a new speech. -Okay.
Where I can say that my genius team
has no idea about our own mission.
(melancholy music)
(Jitendra) Very nice! Good job!
You're wrecking this bat the same way
you wasted the taxpayer's money.
-Who are you? Step forward and talk. -(Jitendra) Here I am.
Our poor populace
don't have money for their healthcare.
And here you are, our illustrious scientists,
who have squandered the taxpayers' money
and are here playing cricket.
He's recording.
There's no point talking to him. Let's go.
I had a question for him.
-Don't try-- -Sir, sir...
(Jitendra) The ISRO scientists are playing cricket.
Moon or Earth, they're useless on both.
Go home!
You have wasted our money.
-Now, go home and sleep... -Sir, sir!
-Don't you want to go home? -Sir...
-Do you want to go home? -Sir...
How are you heading home?
I...
-Tell me. -I'll hail a rickshaw.
The rickshaw's location will come from the satellites we make.
These satellites guide fishermen
on their boats and save crops
for the farmers.
People like us make the gadgets that make your life better.
The taxpayers' money is getting invested, not wasted.
Type in the location on your phone and...
-Get lost. -I'll cover you too.
Fool!
On the one hand, we have these reporters
and Mohanty on the other.
Mohanty is wrong about most things,
but he is right about one thing.
Right now, the key question isn't what happened to Vikram,
but where it is.
(tense music)
Let's find out.
(news reporter) The ISRO is trying to contact the Vikram lander,
but is there a possibility to re-establish contact?
(male reporter) I don't think
the ISRO scientists can do this.
(Arjun) The optical images from the orbiter tell us nothing.
We've been looking through it all night.
-(Yamini) Try for thermal images... -Bye, Mom.
...Arjun.
Meanwhile, I'll speak to the American Space Agency.
(reporter in English) I'd like to invite India to return
the 2.3 billion pounds of foreign aid money that we sent them.
We should not be giving money to countries with a space program.
(Arjun) I've checked the thermal images, ma'am.
All the teams are working on it.
We can't find Vikram.
(Yamini) We can't give up, Arjun. We need to find it.
(reporter in English) India has been disgraced
in the international community.
Who will answer for that?
Where is Dr. Mohanty?
Where is Dr. Sankaran Nair?
Who will answer?
Where are you guys hiding? Answer me.
(uplifting music)
(man in English) Received requests to help with pictures
of India's lander on the Moon.
Don't think they even reached, man!
We'll find out soon enough.
Our cameras will put the data on the public portal.
(uplifting music)
(soft music)
Arjun, what are you waiting for?
Shoot the marble.
Arjun.
Your dad is leaving.
Come inside now.
(female reporter) The Indian Army has launched
-a frontal attack on Tiger Hill. -Yes, yes!
Pakistan has also begun its counter-bombardment.
-(female reporter in background) -Dad.
I found the Moon.
Very good.
It's beautiful.
Go and get the model.
(female reporter) The counterattack is likely to be heavy.
Here's the Moon.
-(Ratna) Whoa! -(Arjun's parents chuckle)
Now my science project will be the best in the class.
Creating the best science project isn't enough.
Arjun, you'll have to promise me something today.
What promise do you want from me?
Arjun.
What would your grandpa do?
He was a farmer...
You want me to be a farmer, Dad?
-But like you, I also-- -Relax.
You won't follow your dad or your grandpa.
You'll serve our nation in a very different way.
And what is that?
SALUTE TO OUR SOLDIERS, FARMERS, SCIENTISTS
You'll choose science.
Science.
Arjun.
India needs the best of technology.
For that,
you must become the best of scientists.
I promise I'll become a scientist.
But you must come back soon.
I promise I'll be back soon.
Then we'll clear all the Contra levels.
-Okay. -Deal?
Deal.
(ambient music)
(music swells)
(music intensifies)
(intensified music continues)
(fast-paced music)
Good morning, Yamini ma'am.
Vikram was covered with shiny, golden foil
to save it from freezing temperatures
and that foil will help us locate it.
Hurry over.
-(intense music) -(Arjun scoffs)
(Yamini) Instead of a heat scan,
we use a light scan to locate the shiny, golden foil.
Brilliant idea, Arjun.
(intense music continues)
(computer beeps)
It's intact, sir. We've found Vikram!
-(Arjun slams table) -(all clapping and cheering)
(triumphant music)
Well done!
(Yamini) A night to go before the lunar day ends.
I think we can lower the orbiter
and maybe we can try and talk to Vikram.
(triumphant music)
Hmm.
Mmm-hmm.
Fine.
The statement is ambiguous.
-Ready? -Ready. Ahem...
Action.
Today...
I am here
-to talk about ISRO's-- -Sir...
With that smile, it will give out a successful mission.
Let's reduce that a bit.
Today...
I come to you
-to talk about ISRO's-- -Sir.
You're a bit too sad.
The mission is partially successful, right?
A bit...
-(Nishant chuckles) Sir. -Now?
You're looking ambiguous.
Today...
I come to you
to talk about ISRO's--
(phone buzzing)
Yes, Dr. Sankaran.
(Sankaran) We've located Vikram.
-What? -We found it.
That's... That's fantastic!
I mean, it's great news.
We're still trying
-to establish contact. -Well...
Since you found it, you'll be able to contact it.
-Dr. Ramaiah is on it. -Okay.
Great. See you soon.
-Shall we continue? -No.
No need for a recording.
Write a new statement celebrating success.
Forget recording, we'll soon have a live briefing in Bangalore.
Let's go.
(Mohanty) As we speak,
the ISRO team is trying to communicate with Vikram.
And we're really proud of the ISRO team for this achievement.
(Jitendra) Sir.
After this achievement,
will India's influence grow in shaping the laws
that govern space?
Of course.
(Mohanty) India will make an effort
to govern space in a friendly manner.
Sir, last time, I lost my increment.
-Please find that too. -(all chuckle)
(Mohanty) To fulfil this...
-(cell phone buzzes) ...we're talking to the members of
the UN Security Council on an urgent basis,
so that we can finally have a seat at the space table.
(woman) Sir, what about your future missions?
(Mohanty) Look,
I appreciate the excitement,
but these aren't swift decisions.
-(cell phone chimes) -(camera clicks)
-Did you read this? -See this.
Can you check this?
-(indistinct chatter) -Oh, my God!
-Is this for real? -Hey! How?
-See that? This says something else. -Are they sure about this?
Sir! Sir, are you sure?
I hope your team members didn't play a prank on you.
-(all laughing) -It's possible.
-Is this a joke or what? -What?
(indistinct chatter)
Ask Mohanty to stop the briefing!
It's not the lander. Only pieces of the lander have been found.
Were these photos taken
after the orbiter was lowered?
Arjun was wrong!
Vikram crashed!
(man) Sir, are you ashamed of ISRO scientists for peddling such lies?
-(tense music) -(Nishant whispering)
Look at this.
-(man) This is major news. -Hello?
-(journalists clamouring) -Sankaran.
(news reporter) A Chennai college student
just debunked ISRO's claims.
A space enthusiast.
In other words, he keeps a close watch on space activities.
His name is Sachhidanand,
and he is with us now.
So, I read NASA's statement that they couldn't find the lander.
I downloaded the LRO images on my computer,
and I could find something out of the ordinary
in a particular spot.
I emailed NASA
explaining that this could be possible debris.
-Sir, sir! -Just a second.
-Sir, please! -(journalists clamouring)
Look,
I've just been on a high-level call.
And let me tell you this...
that we are committed to transparency.
(Mohanty) We've formed a failure analysis committee
on an immediate basis
that will conduct a thorough investigation
of the landing of Chandrayaan-2.
I'm personally setting up this committee.
Our Director of Thumba, Sudarshan Ramaiah,
will be the lead investigator.
In a great institution like ISRO,
whatever factors led to this failure,
whether internal incompetence
or external sabotage,
a rational, experienced scientist like Dr. Ramaiah
will help us identify and eliminate them.
We'll find those
who are trying to stop India from becoming
a technological superpower.
We'll question them,
and we'll make sure that they're severely punished.
Ma'am.
Have you seen Mr. Arjun?
No.
-(tense music) -I'll go check.
(Mohanty) If we want to conquer the world,
we must first conquer ourselves.
(dramatic music)
(gunshots firing)
(intense music)
(bombs erupt)
(gunshot)
(dramatic music)
(phone thuds)
(Ratna) Do you understand now
why your dad made you promise that you'd become a scientist?
(Arjun) Yes, Mom.
So that India will have the best technology in the world.
-(cell phone buzzing) -(intense music)
(music fades away)