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Source- This post on India’s First Venus Mission is based on the article “India to launch its first mission to Venus in 2028” published in Indian Express on 25th September 2024.
Why in News?
Recently, the Union Cabinet approved ISRO’s plan to launch India’s first mission to Venus, scheduled for March 2028.
About the Venus Mission
| Aspects | Description |
| About | It is planned to be launched in March 2028. This will be India’s second interplanetary mission, following the successful Mars Orbiter Mission in 2013. |
| Aim | To study Venus from orbit, focusing on the planet’s surface, sub-surface, atmosphere, ionosphere, and its interaction with the Sun. |
| Key features | 1. The mission will carry around 100 kilograms of scientific instruments, including contributions from international collaborators. 2. After launch, the spacecraft will slingshot towards Venus, reaching the planet in approximately 140 days. Upon arrival, it will enter a highly elliptical orbit of 500 km by 60,000 km around Venus. 3. One of the mission’s groundbreaking aspects is the use of aerobraking. It is a first for India. This process involves skimming the spacecraft through the outer layers of Venus’ atmosphere to create drag, thereby reducing its orbit. |
| Payloads | 1. The mission’s payload includes a synthetic aperture radar, which will image Venus’ surface using L and S band radar, and a thermal camera to study temperature variations. 2. Additionally, an interplanetary dust experiment will analyze dust particles, and instruments designed to study the atmosphere will measure its composition, structure, and variability, as well as its ionization. |
| International Collaboration | By 2019, 17 Indian experiments and seven international experiments were selected for the mission. |
| Importance of Studying Venus | Venus is often called Earth’s twin due to its similar mass, size, and density. Studying Venus may provide insights into Earth’s evolution. |
About Venus
1. About: Venus is the second planet from the Sun and is often referred to as Earth’s “sister planet” due to its similar size and mass.
2. Composition: Venus has a thick atmosphere composed primarily of carbon dioxide, with clouds of sulfuric acid.
3. Temperature: Surface temperature of 462°C—hotter than Mercury despite being farther from the Sun. The surface pressure is about 92 times that of Earth, equivalent to the pressure found about 900 meters underwater on Earth.
4. Geology: The surface of Venus is rocky and volcanic. It is dotted with mountains, vast plains, and large impact craters. Venus has many volcanoes, some of which may still be active, and large lava flows are evident on its surface. Notable features include Maxwell Montes, the highest mountain, and a large plateau called Ishtar Terra.
5. Rotation: Venus has a unique rotation in the solar system. Venus rotates very slowly, with one rotation taking 243 Earth days.
Read more: Venus Orbiter Mission
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