After Mars, Moon, Sun, The Next Big Thing For ISRO Is Venus Shukrayaan

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has once again elevated the nation's standing on the global stage by achieving historic milestones. First, they accomplished the remarkable feat of Chandrayaan-3's soft landing on the South Pole of the moon, followed by the successful launch of India's maiden solar mission, Aditya-L1. Now, ISRO Chairman S Somanath has revealed that preparations for a mission to Venus, unofficially dubbed 'Shukrayaan,' are already underway, with payloads for this ambitious venture in advanced stages of development.

Addressing the Indian National Science Academy in Delhi, ISRO's chief, Somanath, affirmed, "We have a lot of missions in the conceptual phase. A mission to Venus is already configured. Payloads have already developed for it." He went on to emphasize the significance of exploring Venus, an intriguing planet that holds answers to pressing questions in the realm of space science. While an official launch date for 'Shukrayaan' has not been announced, it is expected to take place in December 2024.

WHY IS VENUS MISSION THE NEXT FOR ISRO: The primary objective of India's mission to Venus is to unravel the mysteries of this enigmatic planet. "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," remarked S Somanath. He further elaborated on the mission's significance by suggesting that understanding Venus could shed light on the potential evolution of Earth over millennia, saying, "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."

Venus, as the second planet from the Sun and Earth's closest planetary neighbor, shares similarities with our own planet in terms of size and density, earning it the name of Earth's twin. Previous Venus missions, including ESA's Venus Express and Japan's Akatsuki Venus Climate Orbiter, have contributed to our knowledge of this intriguing world. NASA's Parker Solar Probe has also conducted flybys of Venus, capturing visible light images of its surface during a 2021 flyby.

ISRO'S SUN, MOON, AND MARS MISSIONS: India's space agency, ISRO, continues to shine brightly on the global stage, with achievements like the successful Chandrayaan -3 mission, Aditya-L1 mission to study the sun, the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan) in 2013, and the launch of AstroSat in 2015, marking India's inaugural foray into dedicated astronomical research. With 'Shukrayaan,' ISRO is poised to make another significant stride in space exploration, demonstrating India's prowess in the field.

(With inputs from ANI)