Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced late Friday that the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM-4) completed a controlled re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, splashing down in the Indian Ocean at 2:33 UTC (8:03 IST) on April 4, 2025. This milestone underscores ISRO’s efforts to reduce space debris and support sustainable space practices. “This success highlights ISRO’s leadership in ensuring the long-term sustainability of space and advancing the Debris Free Space Mission (DFSM),” the agency stated.
Launched on December 30, 2024, as part of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission aboard the PSLV-C60 rocket, POEM-4 initially orbited at 475 km after deploying its satellites. ISRO engineers later restarted its engines to lower it to a 350 km near-circular orbit with a 55.2° inclination. The PS4 stage was then passivated by venting residual fuel to prevent unintended disintegration.
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During its mission, POEM-4 carried 24 payloads—14 from ISRO and 10 from non-governmental groups—all of which operated successfully and gathered critical scientific data. The module was tracked by ISRO’s radar systems and the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM), providing data for accurate re-entry forecasts. In its final days, ISRO’s System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operations Management (IS4OM) monitored the module as its orbit shrank to 174 km × 165 km, issuing regular updates until re-entry.
POEM-4 also marked several breakthroughs. It featured India’s first robotic arm for space debris retrieval experiments and carried the country’s inaugural astrobiology payloads, developed by students from RV College of Engineering (RVCE) in Bengaluru and Amity University in Mumbai.