Chandrayaan 3 Launch Vehicle Part Makes Uncontrolled Re-entry Into Earth’s Atmosphere

New Delhi: A portion of the LVM3 M4 launch vehicle that transported Chandrayaan 3 into space on July 14 this year made an uncontrolled re-entry into earth’s atmosphere on Wednesday afternoon, informed ISRO.

It was the cryogenic upper stage of the LVM3 M4 launch vehicle. It re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere around 2.42 pm on Wednesday.

“The probable impact point was predicted over the North Pacific Ocean. The final ground track did not pass over India,” the Indian Space Research Organisation said in a statement.

The re-entry of the rocket body took place within 124 days of its launch. The post-mission orbital lifetime of the LVM3 M4 cryogenic upper stage is, thus, fully compliant with the “25-year rule” for low-Earth orbit objects as recommended by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), ISRO said.

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, it was stated.