The primary objective of this mission is to investigate the mysterious aspects of Venus, which lies concealed beneath its sulphuric acid-laden surface clouds
After India’s 2 recent historic missions – Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya-L1, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is now planning its next mission to study our neighboring planet Venus. The mission, known as ‘Shukrayaan’ translates to the Sanskrit terms, ‘Shukra’ meaning Venus, and ‘Yaan’ meaning vehicle; and is aimed at studying the surface and atmosphere of the brightest planet.
“A mission to Venus is already configured. Payloads have already developed for it,” said ISRO Chairman, S Somanath on Tuesday. He further added that Venus is an interesting planet and exploring the same will help in understanding and answering certain questions in the context, as reports indicate.
“Venus is a very interesting planet. It also has an atmosphere. Its atmosphere is so thick. The atmospheric pressure is 100 times that of Earth and it is full of acids. You cannot penetrate the surface. You don’t know if its surface is hard or not. Why are we trying to understand all of this? Earth could be one day Venus. I don’t know. Maybe 10,000 years later we (Earth) change our characteristics. Earth was never like this. It was not a habitable place long long back,” S Somanath said – reports.
Based on current knowledge, the primary objective of this mission is to investigate the mysterious aspects of Venus, which lies concealed beneath its sulphuric acid-laden surface clouds. This mission is geared towards comprehensive exploration, encompassing the planet’s surface layers, sub-surfaces, atmospheric chemistry, and the intricate relationship between solar energy and Venus.
The spacecraft’s payload is reported to possess a weight of approximately 100 kg. It is equipped with an available energy supply of 500 W. This substantial capacity ensures the feasibility of conducting a wide array of experiments and the storage of valuable data. In terms of its initial orbit around Venus, the spacecraft is anticipated to follow an elliptical path, with a periapsis of 500 km (310 mi) and an apoapsis of 60,000 km (37,000 mi).
The official date for the launch hasn’t been specified, but multiple sources indicate a tentative date of December 2024.
