ISRO confirms re-entry of Chandrayaan 3 rocket’s upper stage into Earth’s atmosphere
ISRO has announced that the cryogenic upper stage of the Chandrayaan 3 launch vehicle made an uncontrolled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that the cryogenic upper stage of the Chandrayaan 3 launch vehicle made an uncontrolled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, ultimately landing in the North Pacific Ocean. The re-entry occurred at approximately 14:42 IST on Wednesday, ISRO reported in an official statement.
Chandrayaan 3, India’s third lunar mission, was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 14, with the Vikram lander and Pragyan Rover successfully touching down on the moon’s surface on August 23.
This historic achievement marked India as the first country in the world to land near the lunar South Pole and the fourth country to achieve a controlled lunar landing.
The specific rocket body involved in the re-entry, identified by NORAD as 57321, played a crucial role in placing the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft into its designated orbit of 133 km x 35,823 km with a 21.3-degree inclination during the initial launch.
ISRO clarified that the re-entry of the rocket body occurred within 124 days of the Chandrayaan-3 launch, fully adhering to the “25-year rule” for Low Earth Orbit objects recommended by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC). The space agency highlighted that the upper stage had undergone “passivation” post-Chandrayaan-3 injection, a process to remove all residual propellant and energy sources. This procedure is in line with space debris mitigation guidelines prescribed by the United Nations and IADC, minimizing the risks of accidental explosions.
Ms Kalinga