Chandrayaan-3 rocket part falls on Earth, ISRO confirms
Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has confirmed that a part of the rocket used to launch the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has fallen back to Earth. The rocket part re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere 124 days after the launch and landed in the North Pacific Ocean.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft was successfully launched on July 14, 2023, with the aim of exploring the South Pole of the Moon. The Vikram lander and rover performed as planned, marking a major success for the Chandrayaan-3 project.
In a statement, ISRO said, “A part of the Chandrayaan-3 rocket has re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere within 124 days of launch. Yesterday, November 15, it entered the Earth’s atmosphere at 2.42 PM Indian time.”
The agency explained that the rocket part likely fell due to the Earth’s gravity pulling it down. The landing point was predicted to be in the North Pacific Ocean.
Despite the return of the rocket part to Earth, the Chandrayaan-3 project is still considered a success. ISRO has not released any further details about the implications of the rocket’s return.
This marks another milestone in India’s space exploration efforts and highlights the complexities and challenges of space missions. ISRO continues to make significant advancements in space technology and is committed to further exploration of the cosmos.