ISRO gets government approval for Venus mission “Shukrayaan” | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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ISRO gets government approval for Venus mission “Shukrayaan”

Posted 27 Nov 2024

2 min read

Mission Shukrayan or Venus Orbiter Mission(VOM) by the Department of Space, will explore the atmosphere and surface of Venus, and its interaction with sun.

About VOM: 

  • Launch: ISRO is set to launch it in 2028.
  • Key objectives of VOM:
    • Examining dust in Venusian atmosphere, mapping its surface topography, studying the solar x- ray spectrum near Venus and analyzing Venusian airglow.
    • To serve as technology demonstration for ISRO, testing aerobraking and thermal management techniques in harsh environments.
      • Aero-braking is a technique that uses a planet's atmosphere to slow down a spacecraft and adjust its orbit.
  • Payloads of Mission: 
    • Sixteen Indian payloads, two Indian and international collaborative payloads( VISWAS and RAVI), and one international payload(VIRAL) have been recommended.

Significance of mission:

  • Scientific Exploration: Better understanding the evolution of the solar system as well as dynamics of the planetary atmosphere.
  • Understanding Climate Change: Atmosphere of Venus is mainly composed of CO2 so studying its composition could shed light on greenhouse effect and other environmental issues.
  • Others: Understanding Atmospheric composition, Earth’s evolution etc.

Challenges for mission:

  • Extreme conditions: Extreme temperature and pressure can damage spacecraft components.
  • Corrosive Atmosphere: Sulphuric acid clouds that dominate the Venusian surface can potentially corrode the components made of steel and titanium.
  • Other Challenges: Harsh terrain, lack of sunlight for solar panels, technological challenges etc.

Missions To Venus

  • Past missions:  Mariner 2(USA, 1962),  Venus express(ESA), Magellan(NASA),  Akatsuki (Japan) etc.
  • Future missions: Venus life finder mission( Rocket Lab and MIT), DAVINCI and VERITAS(NASA), EnVision (ESA)
  • Tags :
  • Venus
  • Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM)
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