Why Venus? All About ISRO Venus Orbiter Mission And Why India Wants To Study The Hottest Planet In Our Solar System
ISRO Venus Orbiter Mission, a Rs 1,236cr project, will explore Venus's environment & understand its transformation from a potentially habitable planet to a hostile one. Know launch date, other details
Venus Orbiter Mission: The Union Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM). This groundbreaking initiative, expected to launch in March 2028, marks India's next major step in planetary exploration, taking its research beyond the Moon and Mars. The Cabinet has approved Rs 1,236 crore for the VOM, and the project will be managed by the Indian Space Researct Organisation (ISRO).
But why Venus? What makes the hottest planet in our solar system so crucial for scientific investigation?
Why Study Venus?
Venus, Earth's closest planetary neighbour, holds immense scientific value. Due to its similar size and composition, Venus is often referred to as Earth's "twin", but an "evil" one. Venus is believed to have once harboured conditions suitable for life. However, the planet underwent a dramatic transformation, evolving into an extremely hostile environment with surface temperatures exceeding 450°C and an atmosphere filled with toxic gases.
Venus's dense atmosphere creates an intense greenhouse effect, trapping heat and making it the hottest planet in the solar system. As explained by NASA, its surface temperatures are so extreme that they can melt lead. Beneath the thick, perpetual clouds, the planet features volcanic landscapes and distorted mountain ranges.
Venus is said to orbit the Sun at an average distance of 67 million miles (108 million kilometres), or 0.72 astronomical units (AU) — one AU represents the distance between Earth and the Sun. At this range, sunlight takes about six minutes to reach Venus.
By studying Venus, Indian scientists hope to unlock answers to key questions about planetary evolution, particularly why Venus, despite its similarities to Earth, developed so differently. The mission to be undertaken by the Department of Space aims for "better understanding of the Venusian surface and subsurface, atmospheric processes and influence of Sun on Venusian atmosphere", the department said in a statement.
Great news for the space sector! The Union Cabinet has approved the first step towards the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), expanding the Gaganyaan programme! This landmark decision brings us closer to a self-sustained space station by 2035 and a crewed lunar mission by 2040!…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 18, 2024
ISRO will be in charge of the development of spacecraft and its 2028 launch. Officials said the project will be "effectively managed and monitored through the established practices prevailing at ISRO", and the data generated would be disseminated through existing mechanisms to the scientific community.
This will be the second interplanetary mission for India after it launched the Mars Orbiter Mission on November 5, 2013, which entered the Martian orbit on September 24, 2014.
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What Will The Venus Orbiter Mission Entail?
The Venus Orbiter Mission will place a scientific spacecraft in orbit around Venus, enabling an in-depth study of the planet's environment. ISRO's key focus areas include Venus's surface topography, volcanic activity, lightning phenomena, and atmospheric chemistry. One of the mission's most intriguing goals is to examine how solar radiation interacts with Venus's atmosphere, a dynamic that could shed light on broader solar-planet interactions across the solar system.
"The Venus mission will also study the underlying causes of the transformation of Venus, which is believed to be once habitable and quite similar to Earth," an official said at the media briefing on September 18.
This analysis will help scientists draw comparisons with Earth's atmospheric processes and assess how certain factors could shape planetary environments.
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Rs 1,236-Crore Budget For VOM
While a budget of Rs 1,236 crore has been approved for the VOM budget, Rs 824 crore out of it will be dedicated to spacecraft development — ISRO will be responsible for that. The cost would cover not only the creation and integration of the spacecraft and its specialised payloads but also includes the necessary technology components. Additionally, the funds will support global ground station operations for navigation and communications, as well as the launch vehicle expenses.
The mission will involve various industries for spacecraft and launch vehicle development, creating significant employment opportunities. Moreover, the technologies developed through this mission are expected to have spin-off benefits for other sectors, driving advancements in navigation, telemetry, and space communication.
According to officials, the mission will strengthen India's capabilities for future planetary exploration.
ISRO plans to leverage this experience for missions with larger payloads and more complex orbital insertion techniques. The Venus mission will also provide academic institutions and students with critical training opportunities in spacecraft design, development, and testing, fostering the next generation of space scientists in India, officials said.
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