XPoSat mission achieves zero-debris objective

Bengaluru: The PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) from the PSLV-C58/XPoSat mission re-entered the earth’s atmosphere on March 21 to meet a “fiery end”, about two months after achieving its payload objectives. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said on Monday that the XPoSat mission – launched on January 1 – practically left zero debris in orbit.

The module is expected to have fallen in the north Pacific Ocean at about 7:34 pm IST on March 21.

After the primary XPoSat mission of injecting all satellites into intended orbits, POEM-3 used the spent fourth stage of the PSLV-C58 vehicle as a platform with nine experimental payloads to conduct technology demonstrations and scientific experiments. Six of these payloads were delivered by non-government entities (NGEs). On January 27, ISRO announced that the module had achieved all its objectives.

“The stage was deorbited from 650 km to 350 km, which facilitated its early re-entry, and was passivated to remove residual propellants to minimise any accidental break-up risks,” Isro said. Measures like controlled dumping of residual propellant were employed after the main mission to minimise disturbances due to passivation.

“Till near re-entry, POEM-3 was tracked by ISTRAC ground stations. The Multi-Object Tracking Radar at Sriharikota also tracked the PS4 stage till the morning of March 21,” Isro said.

POEM is a cost-effective platform that enables payloads from academia, startups, and NGEs to conduct short-duration space-borne experiments. The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre led its conceptualisation. The XPoSat was the third mission in the series; all three carried POEMs.

Announcing the module's re-entry, Isro reiterated its commitment to space debris mitigation efforts through advanced debris tracking and de-orbiting technologies.