ISRO successfully conducts controlled re-entry test of MT-1 satellite

On 7 March 2023, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully conducted a highly challenging controlled re-entry test of the decommissioned orbiting Megha-Tropics-1 (MT-1) satellite in an uninhabited area within 5 degrees of the Pacific Ocean. South(°S) to 14°S latitude and 119° West(W) to 100°W longitude.

• This was done from the Mission Operations Complex at ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network), Bangalore (Karnataka).

Important aspects:

iThe final two D-boost burns were fired by firing the four 11 Newton thrusters on the satellite.

ii.The satellite enters the dense layer of Earth’s atmosphere and subsequently undergoes structural disintegration.

iii.The satellite has no surviving large debris, as confirmed by re-entry aero-thermal flux analysis.

About MT-1:

This low Earth satellite weighing around 1000 kg was launched on October 12, 2011 as a joint satellite initiative of ISRO and the French space agency, CNES, for tropical weather and climate research. Its mission life was 3 years, but continued to provide valuable data services for more than a decade, supporting regional and global climate models until 2021.

• However, from August 2022, the satellite’s perigee was progressively lowered through a series of 20 maneuvers consuming about 120 kg of fuel.

why is Controlled re-entry of satellitess Need?

The United Nations (UN)/Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) space debris mitigation guidelines recommend deorbiting a LEO (Low Earth Orbit) object at the end of its life, preferably by controlled re-entry into a safe impact zone. , or bringing it into an orbit with an orbital lifetime of less than 25 years.

Managed by ISRO Parachute test for spaceship Mission

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) conducted test deployment of the Gaganyaan pilot’s ‘Rail Track Rocket Sled’ and Apex cover separation Parachute in cluster configuration (ACS) at Terminal Ballistic Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh on 1st and 3rd March 2023.

• These tests are part of the preparations for the Gaganyaan human space flight mission approved by the central government in 2018 as India’s first manned space mission to carry astronauts into low Earth orbit (LEO) and bring them back safely.

Recent Related News:

iOn 5th January 2023, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Microsoft India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support and promote the growth of space technology startups in India.

ii.On February 10, 2023, ISRO launched the 2nd version of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2) from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) in Sriharikota (AP), Andhra Pradesh.

About Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO):

Chairman– S Somanath
Headquarters– Bangalore, Karnataka
establishment– 1969