Part of rocket that launched Chandrayaan-3 makes uncontrolled reentry, to hit North Pacific Ocean

The rocket body of the launch vehicle that put India's moon mission Chandrayaan-3 into orbit has made an uncontrolled re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced Wednesday night that the rocket body called NORAD id 57321 that made the cryogenic upper stage of the LVM3 M4 launch vehicle entered the atmosphere around 14:42 IST.

According to ISRO, the probable impact point was predicted over the North Pacific Ocean. However, the final ground track did not pass over India, said ISRO.

The re-entry of the rocket body has taken place 124 days since launch on July 14. The vehicle had made a soft landing on the moon on August 23 and began relaying information over the next two weeks before going into sleep mode on September 4.

“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 in a release.