Context:
ISRO’s to-do list includes the Chandrayaan-4 moon mission, the development of the space station, Bharatiya Antariksha Station, a second mission to Mars, and the maiden Venus Orbiter Mission.
The Venus Orbiter Mission
The Venus Orbiter Mission, also known as Shukrayaan, is a mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to study the planet Venus:
- Objectives
- The mission will study the surface, atmosphere, and interaction of the planet with the sun. It will also test aerobraking and thermal management techniques in the Venusian environment.
- Payloads
- The mission will carry 16 Indian payloads, two Indian and international collaborative payloads, and one international payload.
- These payloads include the Venus Ionospheric and Solar Wind Particle AnalySer (VISWAS), Radio Anatomy of Venus Ionosphere (RAVI), and VIRAL (Venus InfraRed Atmospheric gases Linker).
- Launch
- The mission is scheduled for launch in March 2028. The LVM-3 launch vehicle is expected to place the spacecraft in an elliptical parking orbit around Venus.
- Collaboration
- The mission will include Indian industries, academic institutions, and students at different stages of the project.
- Significance
- Scientists can learn about climate change, atmospheric dynamics, and the evolution of a planet by studying Venus.
- This knowledge might help scientists know more about Earth’s potential future and what makes a planet habitable.
