ISRO says LVM3 M5 upper stage re-entered over the Atlantic

ISRO announced that the upper stage from the LVM3 M5 mission came back to Earth on 2026-07-30. The object re-entered over the Atlantic Ocean after being launched on 2025-11-02.

The mission’s upper stage had carried CMS-03 toward Geostationary Transfer Orbit on LVM3’s 5th operational flight. ISRO said the stage’s limited orbital lifetime was the result of mission planning.

ISRO made the announcement on 2026-08-12. The LVM3 M5 upper stage had launched from Sriharikota on 2025-11-02 and re-entered on 2026-07-30.

LVM3 M5 was the vehicle’s 5th operational flight. Its payload was the CMS-03 communication satellite, which was placed into Geostationary Transfer Orbit, with the stated orbit parameters of perigee 170 km and apogee 29970 km.

After the mission, the upper stage was passivated and remained in a highly elliptical GTO with 21 deg inclination. The object was identified as NORAD id 66310 and International Designator 2025-249A.

ISRO said IS4OM kept close watch on the stage’s orbital decay, while MOTR was engaged to track it. The reported landing site was the Atlantic Ocean, and some parts were expected to survive re-entry.

Before launch, the orbital lifetime was estimated at less than a year. ISRO said the rocket body’s residual orbital lifetime stayed within 9 months, meeting the IADC recommended 25-year rule.

ISRO also said India’s Debris Free Space Mission recommends a 5-year orbital lifetime for rocket stages that pass through LEO. It described the short orbital lifetime on LVM3 M5 as an outcome achieved through proper planning.

For readers following lunar and wider space operations, the update shows how a launch provider is handling post-mission debris risk. The reported re-entry within months, rather than years, is notable because ISRO tied it to deliberate planning and cited compliance with debris-mitigation guidance.

The case also matters because the upper stage was actively monitored during decay and tracked through re-entry. That adds operational detail on how ISRO follows spent hardware after launch, not only the payload insertion.

ISRO is India’s national space organization.