The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has recently completed a decade-long mission by successfully de-orbiting the defunct Megha-Trophiques satellite. This mission marks a major milestone for the ISRO, as it is the first time that the agency has been able to successfully de-orbit a satellite.
Megha-Trophiques was launched in 2011 as part of a joint mission between ISRO and the French space agency CNES. The satellite was designed to study the tropical atmosphere and its interaction with the monsoon. It was equipped with four instruments that measured various parameters such as atmospheric temperature, humidity, and aerosol concentrations.
The mission was a success, and the satellite collected valuable data for over nine years before it ran out of fuel and was declared defunct in 2020. As the satellite had reached the end of its operational life, it needed to be de-orbited to avoid any potential risks of collision with other satellites or debris in space.
To de-orbit the satellite, ISRO used its own ‘Spacecraft De-Orbiter’ system. This system uses a combination of thrusters and a drag sail to reduce the satellite’s orbital velocity and bring it back down to Earth. After several months of careful planning and preparation, ISRO successfully de-orbited the satellite on April 20th, 2021.
This successful mission marks a major milestone for ISRO, as it is the first time that the agency has been able to successfully de-orbit a satellite. The successful completion of this mission demonstrates ISRO’s growing capabilities in space exploration and its commitment to ensuring the safety of space operations.
The data collected by Megha-Trophiques will be used by scientists to gain a better understanding of the tropical atmosphere and its interaction with the monsoon. This data will help inform future research and provide valuable insights into climate change and other environmental issues.
Overall, ISRO’s successful de-orbiting of the Megha-Trophiques satellite marks a major milestone for the agency and is an important step forward in its mission to explore and understand space.
- SEO Powered Content & PR Distribution. Get Amplified Today.
- Platoblockchain. Web3 Metaverse Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. Access Here.
- Source: Plato Data Intelligence: PlatoAiStream