ISRO ON Monday said its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has accomplished zero orbital debris mission, and described it “another milestone.” This was achieved on March 21, when the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) met its “fiery end” through a re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. “The PSLV-C58/XPoSat mission has practically left zero debris in orbit,” the space agency said. The PSLV-C58 mission was accomplished on January 1. According to ISRO, after completing the primary mission of injecting all satellites into their desired orbits, the terminal stage of PSLV was transformed into a 3-axis stabilised platform, the POEM-3.

 

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, it said. POEM-3 was configured with a total of nine different experimental payloads to carry out technology demonstrations and scientific experiments on the newly developed indigenous systems. Out of these, six payloads were delivered by Non-Government Entities (NGEs) through Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre. The mission objectives of these payloads were met in a month. The orbital altitude of the upper stage continued to decay under the influence of natural forces, primarily atmospheric drag with the module (NORAD ID 58695) expected to have impacted the North Pacific Ocean (Lat 6.4 N and Long 158.7 W) on March 21, 2024, at 14:04 UTC (19:34 hrs IST), ISRO said.

 

Through the POEM, which serves as a very cost-effective platform for carrying out short-duration space-borne experiments, ISRO has opened up new vistas for academia, startups, and NGEs to experiment with their new payloads, it said. This novel opportunity has been effectively utilised by numerous startups, universities, and NGEs for carrying out experiments in space, which included electric thrusters, satellite dispensers, and star-tracking. POEM also incorporates new features such as total avionics in single-chain configuration, industrial-grade components in avionics packages.