India's LVM3-M5 upper stage safely re-enters Earth July 30, 2026
India's LVM3-M5 rocket's upper stage made a safe return to Earth on July 30, 2026, after spending almost nine months in orbit.
It originally launched from Sriharikota last November, carrying the CMS-03 communications satellite.
Once its job was done, the stage was left in a highly elliptical orbit and carefully prepared so it wouldn't break apart unexpectedly.
ISRO, US Space Command tracked re-entry
ISRO and US Space Command kept a close eye on the re-entry, using radar at Sriharikota to track its final moments.
The stage was expected to burn up over the Atlantic Ocean around 5:38pm IST, with only tough materials like gas bottles or tanks possibly surviving.
ISRO made sure everything followed strict space debris rules, keeping the orbital lifetime under nine months, way better than the usual 25-year limit, so space stays cleaner for future missions.