The PSLV-37 upper stage successfully made a safe re-entry into Earth's atmosphere after 8 years.

Science and Technology

The successful re-entry of the Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) upper stage of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C-37 (PSLV C-37) into Earth's atmosphere occurred on October 6, 2024.


      - This achievement represents a significant milestone in ISRO's efforts to achieve a Debris Free Space Mission (DFSM) by 2030 through ongoing proactive measures.

      - Space debris includes defunct human-made objects in Earth's orbit, such as non-functional satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments resulting from satellite collisions.

     

Main Points:-   (i) The orbital altitude of the PSLV upper stage had decayed to 134x148 km, and re-entry occurred over the North Atlantic Ocean.

      (ii) This re-entry within eight years aligns with the international debris mitigation guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC), which limit the post-mission lifespan of defunct objects in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) to 25 years.

(iii) ISRO is actively working to reduce the residual orbital lifetime of PSLV upper stages to 5 years or less through controlled de-orbiting techniques.

          ____________________________