ISRO successfully carries out controlled re-entry experiment of MT-1 satellite

Source: The post is based on the article “ISRO successfully carries out controlled re-entry experiment of MT-1 satellite” published in The Hindu on 10th March 2023

What is the News?

The Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) has successfully carried out the controlled re-entry experiment for the decommissioned Megha-Tropiques-1(MT-1) satellite.

What is the Megha-Tropiques-1 satellite?

Megha-Tropiques-1 was a joint mission developed by ISRO and the French space agency, CNES, for tropical weather and climate studies. 

The satellite was launched into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in 2011.

The mission was initially planned to operate for three years but it was extended later as it continued to deliver key data about the climate for a decade.

Why has ISRO brought down the Megha-Tropiques-1 satellite?

ISRO has brought down the Megha-Tropiques-1 satellite as part of its commitment to the United Nations Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (UNIADC) following the end of the mission life. 

The UN guidelines state that at its end-of-life the satellite should be deorbited, preferably through controlled re-entry to a safe impact zone or by bringing it to an orbit where the orbital lifetime is less than 25 years.