Key Takeaways
- The launch vehicle successfully delivered Chandrayaan-3 before its cryogenic stage re‑entered uncontrolled.
- ISRO’s passivation procedures removed residual propellant, adhering to IADC’s 25‑year orbital‑lifetime rule.
- The predicted impact zone was over the North Pacific Ocean, ensuring safety for people on the ground.
Chennai: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that the Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS) of the LVM3 M4 launch vehicle, which had injected India’s third Lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into the intended orbit, made an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
It has made the uncontrolled re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere, around 1442 hrs on Wednesday and the final ground track did not pass over India, it said.
“The probable impact point was predicted over the North Pacific Ocean. The final ground track did not pass over India”, it added.
This rocket body (NORAD id 57321) was part of the vehicle that successfully injected
the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into the intended orbit of 133 km x 35823 km with a
21.3 deg inclination on July 14, 2023.
The re-entry of the rocket body took place within 124 days of its launch, ISRO said.
It said the post-mission orbital lifetime of the LVM3 M4 Cryogenic upper Stage is, thus,
fully compliant with the “25-year rule” for LEO (Low Earth Orbit) objects as recommended
by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC).
Post Chandrayaan-3 injection, the upper stage had also undergone “passivation” to
remove all residual propellant and energy sources to minimise the risks of accidental
explosions as per the space debris mitigation guidelines prescribed by the United
Nations and IADC.
Passivation and Post-mission disposal of this rocket body in adherence to the
internationally accepted guidelines once again reaffirms India’s commitment to
preserve the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, ISRO said.
