Crashed! Why ISRO Safely Smashes Its Spacecraft Over Indian Ocean On Valentine’s Day

ISRO: The Indian space agency safely crashed its Cartosat-2 satellite after it successfully completed its mission.

Cartosat-2: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Friday informed that it had safely smashed its Cartosat-2 probe satellite back to earth. Cartosat-2 burned up upon re-entry into the upper atmosphere. Launched in 2007, the satellite had completed its mission in 2019 and since then the had been gradually lowered by ISRO to ensure a safe re-entry into the atmosphere.

Cartosat-2: The Mission And Happy Ending

ISRO stated that Cartosat-2 was a high-resolution imaging satellite and was useful for various cartographic applications like coastal land use monitoring, urban and rural mapping and utility management like water distribution and road networks.
“Cartosat-2, Isro’s high-resolution imaging satellite, bid adieu with a descent into Earth’s atmosphere on February 14, 2024, as predicted. ISRO had lowered its orbit from 635 km to 380 km by early 2020,” ISRO said in a statement.

The satellite was brought down from 635 km to 380 km by early 2020 by burning the remaining fuel for an accelerated descent. During the process, ISRO followed the international guidelines on space debris mitigation.

Cartosat-2: The ISRO Team

The ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) team, specially System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operations (IS4OM), is responsible for it predicting and executing Cartosat-2’s controlled descent. The Indian Space Agency took all the precautions and ensured a controlled and safe end-of-life disposal by completing electrical passivation on February 14. The final telemetry frames showed successful passivation, with the satellite reaching an altitude of 130 km before re-entry.

Cartosat-2: Mission Conclusion

This successful crash showcases an important step for ISRO in ensuring the long-term sustainability of outer space activities,” the space agency said.

The mission aligns with international efforts to minimise space debris and adheres to guidelines set by organisations like the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPOUS) and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC).

The mission was performed under global initiatives aimed at reducing space debris and follows the guidelines established by organizations such as the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPOUS) and the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC).