Highlights:
• The ISRO’s next plan to send a spacecraft to orbit Venus.
• ISRO’s Chairman urged to focus on high-impact outcomes.
• The space agency is planning to launch by December 2024.
After sending missions to the Moon and Mars, the ISRO is now planning to send a spacecraft to orbit Venus to study what lies below the surface of hottest planet of the solar system, and also unravel the mysteries under the Sulfuric Acid clouds enveloping it.
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somnath urged scientists to focus on high-impact outcomes. “Building and putting a mission on Venus is possible for India in a very short space of time as the capability today exists with India,” Somnath said in his inaugural address.
Planning to launch
The space agency is planning to launch by December 2024 with orbital maneuvers planned for the following year when earth and Venus would be so aligned that the spacecraft could be put in the neighbouring planet’s orbit using a minimum amount of propellant.
The next similar window would be available in 2031. Somnath cautioned against repeating experiments conducted by previous missions to the Venus and focus on unique high-impact outcomes as were achieved by Chandrayaan-I and Mars Orbiter Mission.
Plans of investigations
Among the experiments planned include an investigation of the surface processes and shallow sub-surface stratigraphy, including active volcanic hotspots and lava flows, studying the structure, composition, and dynamics of the atmosphere, and investigation of solar wind interaction with the Venusian Ionosphere.
