ISRO chief S Somnath had said during a lecture last year that it is necessary to send a mission to Venus to understand its atmosphere and its acidic behaviour. It is believed that the Shukrayaan mission will study the atmospheric pressure on Venus.
ShareTaking a big step towards space mission today (Wednesday, 18 September), the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved schemes worth a total of Rs 31,772 crore. Under this, emphasis has been laid on the establishment of space station along with Chandrayaan-4 mission, Gaganyaan and Shukrayaan. By approving these schemes, the central government has prepared a roadmap for 2040 for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
Apart from the Chandrayaan-4 mission, the Cabinet has also approved Shukrayaan as a major mission. Under this, the development of Venus Orbit Mission has been approved. This will be an important step towards the government’s vision of exploring and studying Venus beyond the Moon and Mars missions.
When will it be completed?
Venus is believed to have once been habitable and was quite similar to Earth. In such a situation, studying the underlying reasons for the change in Venus will be significantly helpful in understanding the evolution of both the sister planets Venus and Earth. The special thing is that this planet is exactly like Earth and is of the same size as Earth. There was also an ocean and climate in the past but now Venus is not habitable. ISRO will also be responsible for the development and launch of the spacecraft for this mission. This mission is likely to be completed by March 2028.
ISRO chief S Somnath had said during a lecture last year that it is necessary to send a mission to Venus to understand its atmosphere and its acidic behaviour. It is believed that the Shukrayaan mission will study the atmospheric pressure on Venus. Its atmospheric pressure is 100 times more than that of the Earth. The government has approved a fund of Rs 1236 crore for Mission Shukrayaan. Out of this, Rs 824 crore will be spent only on the development of the Shukrayaan spacecraft.
Why is the mission necessary?
This mission will enable India to carry out future planetary missions including launching satellites with larger payloads into suitable orbits. Indian industry will have significant involvement in the development of such spacecraft and launch vehicles. Mission Shukrayaan will help scientists understand how the atmospheres of planets evolved differently even though they started out similar. The mission also plans to bring back Venus soil to Earth.
Through this, scientists will also be able to study the surface, subsurface and atmospheric processes of Venus under this mission. The mission will also study how the Sun affects Venus’ atmosphere. There is also a plan to share the data obtained from Venus with the scientific community. This mission will also provide training opportunities for students and educational institutions. This mission will also pave the way for future planetary explorations.