India’s First Venus Mission

Introduction

• The Union Cabinet of India recently cleared the first-ever interplanetary Venus mission by ISRO , which is proposed to during March 2028.
• This could be India’s second mission to the interplanetary system since its successful Mars Orbiter Mission in 2013. Venus is actually quite similar in size to Earth and has, for many, years been the focus of increased interest due its similarity.
• But the planet ranges extreme differences that may depict what may have happened to the evolution of earth in future.
• Now it’s time to embark into all you need to know about this upcoming Venus mission.

Why Is Venus So Important?

• It is known that the masses, sizes and densities of Venus differ little from those of the Earth, that is why it is considered the Earth’s twin.
• However, there is a vast difference beneath these similarities that makes Venus an object of great scientific study.
• That is why, examining Venus, people want to define meteorological, geological, and other processes that currently are happening on our planet, and can affect its conditions in the future.
• However, it is vital to mention that there used to be water on Venus according to, not less, scientists. But over the centuries it became a desolate desert like a flaming sphere with surface temperatures reaching 462C degrees higher than Mercury— the closest planet to our Sun.
• It is believed that this change occurred due to a runaway greenhouse process, which resulted in the planet to retain heat, and all of its water to evaporate.
• The atmosphere is 96.5% carbon dioxide and in contrast to the Earth Venus has a thick sulfuric acid clouds.
• It has proven very demanding for previous missions to explore the planet due to the severe and harsh environments which have seen no lander at the planet last more than 48 hours.
• In addition to the heat, Venus experiences the pressure that was compared to the pressure that is exerted in the lower milky way 92 times greater than that of the earth, approximately, the same pressure is experienced at a depth of one thousand meters below the surface of the ocean on the earth.
• It is possible that the observation of these conditions may give scientists some idea about what happens in a runaway greenhouse and valuable information about climate and planetary evolution.

The Importance of India’s Venus Mission

• Indian’s attempt to seek opportunity in Venus is a turning point to India’s space program.
• This challenging mission will host hardware provided by Indian and foreign collaborators to investigate the venusian crust, mantle, atmosphere, ionosphere, and the way it communicates with the Sun.

ISRO’s Venus mission is crucial for several reasons:

• Understanding Climate and Planetary Evolution: Because Venus underwent a runaway greenhouse effect, the study of the planet may afford important lessons with regard to climate change on the two planets.
• India’s Growing Space Capabilities: This mission consolidates India’s emerging image as one of the serious aggressive competitors in the space race. With successful missions to Moon and Mars in the past ISRO finds Venus as the new challenge to explore.
• Contributions to Global Science: The information that is obtained from the mission will contribute to the existing pool of knowledge about Venus to benefit various world countries and enhance man’s understanding of solar systems.

Timeline and Key Details of the Venus Mission

• This Venus mission was initially scheduled for competitively targeted launch on the 2023 Mars mission, but at the moment, it is targeted for launch in 2028.
• This change in the timeline is due to the realisation that Earth and Venus are only lined up fairly for space missions every 19 months thus providing the shortest and efficient path for space crafts.
• ISRO has said that the launch will happen in March 2028 at the next ideal launch window in the mars mission.
• When launched the craft will take nearly 140 days to cover the distance from Earth orbit to Venus.
• About 100 kilograms of space research equipment will be on board of the mission in order to perform experiments when the spacecraft will orbit the planet.

The Science of Aero-Braking

• It is noteworthy that the India’s Venus mission is going to use a technique called aero-braking for the first time in the history of ISRO.
• Aero-braking will enable the satellite to move to the lower orbit around Venus at the-speed that possess low fuel consumption.

Here’s how it works:

• The initial orbit will be an elliptical flyby of Venus with a per-Venus distance of 500 km to an apo-Venus distance of 60 000 km.
• This is too expensive for scientific experiments to be profitable.
• To reduce the satellite’s orbit to a range of 300 x 300 km or 200 x 600 km it will use the thin outer layer of Venus’s atmosphere to drag and slow the satellite down gradually.
• This process includes flying the satellite at the altitude of about 140 km above the surface of Venus, several times. There is assurance that the drag experienced by the satellite reduces its speed and enables it to be placed in a circular, or near circular, orbit to enable experiments.
• Great precaution is needed in the process to ensure that the satellite does not burn out through increased friction or takes a long time to reach the intended orbit.
• Scientists at ISRO estimate their travel time to the right orbit to be about six months; after which the satellite will stop interacting with the atmosphere in order to save fuel.

Scientific Payloads: What Experiments will the Mission Have?

The Venus mission will have an impressive compliment of scientific instruments on board to facilitate the acquisition of data. The reports show that by 2019 ISRO has finalized 17 Indian and 7 International Experiments for the NASA GPM.

Key Indian Payloads Include:

• Synthetic Aperture Radar (L and S band): This radar will aid in finding surface features and any kind of movement on the ground such as volcanoes or tectonic plate movement despite the stationing on the Venus’s giant atmosphere.
• Thermal Camera: This instrument will also be utilized to generate thermal pictures on the surface of Venus.
• Interplanetary Dust Experiment: This payload will characterise how the interplanetary dust affects the atmosphere of the Venus.
• Atmospheric Studies: The next payload will investigate the elements, organization, and fluctuation of the Venusian orbiting thick atmosphere.
• High-Energy Particle Analysis: This experiment will concern itself with the entry of high energy particles into the Venusian environment and ionisation.

International Collaborations:

• It will also transport international experiments from space agencies across the globe; the specifics of these experiments are also still being completed.

Other Countries’ Interest in Venus

• The above findings depict that India is not the only country with interests in Venus.
• Many other countries and space groups have sent missions to Venus and its atmosphere in the past few decades.
• The first country to journey into space was United States and USSR in 1960s and 1970s with use flybys, orbiters and even lander but the landers could not survive the condition in Venus.
• The European Space Agency in cooperation with Japan have initiated a mission to Venus they named Venus Express in 2005. It was in orbit around Venus for eight years, gathering information for the planet’s atmosphere and the ground.
• Japan’s space agency known as JAXA, also sent Akatsuki in 2010 that is now on a mission studying Venus’ climate and weather system.

Why the Renewed Interest in Venus?

• While for quite some time now the exploration has been concentrated on Mars, Venus regained attention as scientists believe that the answer to several questions can be found on this planet.
• As you might expect technology improves and new and better instruments are available with future missions including India’s will explore Venus’s atmosphere, climate and geology further.

Conclusion: India’s Bold Leap into Planetary Science

• The next flag ship for India is Venus mission, which is going to be a breakthrough in space programs and a new milestone in the journey of each space explorations beyond the Earth and into the arena of planetary science.
• The study of Venus, therefore, shall assist ISRO to enhance international knowledge as part of its scientific discoveries, as well as affirm the position of the nation’s space agency as one of the globe’s best.
• Equipped with more sophisticated scientific tools, new applications of aero-braking, and perfect timings for a launch, Mangalyaan offers a rare look into Venus’s atmosphere, topography and its ability to deal with solar radiation.
• It is a mission that has been sold with visions of scientific returns and national accomplishments.

FAQs

Q1: What is India’s first mission to Venus?

Ans: India’s first Venus mission, approved by the Union Cabinet, is a scientific exploration mission by ISRO planned for launch in March 2028. It will study the surface, atmosphere, and ionosphere of Venus, as well as the planet’s interaction with the Sun.

Q2: Why is ISRO going to Venus?

Ans: Venus is often called Earth’s twin due to its similar size and density, but it has extreme conditions that differ greatly from Earth. The mission aims to understand these differences and gain insights into the climate, geological history, and evolution of both Venus and Earth.

Q3: What scientific instruments will be on the mission?

Ans: The mission will carry scientific payloads weighing about 100 kg. These include radar for surface mapping, thermal cameras, and instruments to study the atmosphere, interplanetary dust, and high-energy particles.