India's moon landing suffers last-minute communications loss

Prime minister Narendra Modi consoles scientists distraught as complex mission goes awry

India's attempt to land an unmanned craft on the moon's uncharted south polar region appears to have gone awry, when communication with the landing vehicle was lost moments before touchdown.

"Communications from lander to ground station was lost," said Kailasavadivoo Sivan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation early on Saturday. Data was still being analysed, he told a room full of distraught scientists at the agency's tracking centre in Bengaluru.