Zero orbital debris mission accomplished by ISRO’s POEM-3 mission.
On March 25, ISRO said it achieved another milestone as the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) met its fiery end via re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
On March 21, 2024, this milestone was achieved and the PSLV-C58/XPoSat mission has left practically zero debris in orbit.
PSLV-C58 mission was completed on January 1, 2024.
After completing the primary mission of placing all the satellites in their desired orbits, the terminal stage of PSLV was changed to a 3-axis stabilized platform, POEM-3.
The stage was de-orbited from 650 km to 350 km, facilitating its early re-entry, and decommissioned to remove residual propellants to reduce any accidental break-up risk.
With a total of 9 different experimental payloads, POEM-3 was configured to conduct technology demonstration and scientific experiments on newly developed indigenous systems.
Of these, 6 payloads were delivered by NGEs via IN-SPACe.
