After success of India’s new space mission Chandrayaan-Mangarian, cabinet approves Venus mission

The cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an important announcement for ISRO today. The cabinet has given the green signal to Shukrayaan, the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM). After the success of Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan, the aim now is to study Venus. Venus is much closer to our planet. Hence, its study will provide new information.

VOM will prepare a special spacecraft to orbit Venus specifically for research. In order to understand the surface, subsurface, atmosphere, influence of the sun, etc. of the planet. It is said that Venus was once a habitable planet, but then the situation changed. This change will also be studied.

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ISRO will be responsible for developing and launching the spacecraft. It is believed that the mission will be launched in March 2028. Because Venus will be close to the Earth by then. In addition, the government has sanctioned a fund of Rs 1,236 crore for this. Of this, Rs 824 crore will be used only for the Shukrayaan spacecraft.

What did the ISRO chief say to Shukrayaan?

Last year, ISRO Chairman Dr S. Somnath had said there was a need to send a mission there to understand the atmosphere of Venus and its acidic behaviour. This would allow the atmospheric pressure there to be studied. The atmospheric pressure on Venus is 100 times that of Earth. Somnath was speaking at the Indian National Science Academy (INSA).

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Somnath said that we still don’t know what causes such a high pressure. The clouds around Venus. There are acids in them. Therefore, no spacecraft can pass through its atmosphere and reach its surface. The study of Venus is necessary to obtain information about the origin of the solar system. If we look closely at Venus and Mars, we will know why there is no life there. In order to understand this more deeply, it is necessary to send a mission there.

Shukrayaan is India’s first Venus mission

If there is no launch in 2031, then the best launch window will be 2031. Shukrayaan is an orbiter mission. This means that the spacecraft will study Venus while orbiting it. It will have many scientific payloads. But the two most important payloads will be a high-resolution synthetic aperture radar and a ground-penetrating radar.

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Shukrayaan will study the geographical structure and volcanic activity of Venus from space. Its surface gas emissions, wind speed, cloud cover, etc. will also be studied. The mission will revolve around Venus in an elliptical orbit.

Will study Venus for four years

The duration of the Shukrayaan mission is four years. This means the spacecraft will be manufactured during this time. Shukrayaan is expected to be launched using the GSLV Mark II rocket. The weight of Shukrayaan is 2,500 kg. It will have a payload of 100 kg. Currently, there are reports that 18 payloads will be installed in it, but the exact number of payloads to be installed will be decided later. Payloads from Germany, Sweden, France, and Russia can also be installed in it.