With the advancement in space technology, remarkable growth can be witnessed in solar system studies by space agencies across the globe. The Indian Space Agency is also harnessing observational capabilities and computational technologies to expand the knowledge base of our solar system.
Aligning with this, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to cosign an orbiter to Earth’s twin sister planet – Venus. During the inauguration of the National Meet on Venus Science, ISRO Chairman S Somanath stated that the capability of building and launching a mission to the planet exists with India.
The objective of this mission is to study the Venusian atmosphere, which is toxic and corrosive in nature with clouds of sulfuric acid covering the planet. ISRO chairman, during the meeting, said “Work has been going for years. Currently, the Venus mission is conceived, the project report is made, overall plans are ready, money is identified, and all that thing is done. 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.”
Why studying Venus is important?
Often described as the “twin sister” of Earth, Venus is similar to Earth in various aspects including size, mass, density, bulk composition and gravity. It is worth mentioning that both planets share a common origin, forming at the same time out of a condensing nebulosity around 4.5 billion years ago. Venus is 30% closer to the sun as compared to Earth resulting in a much higher solar flux. Even with a lot of similarities, the fate of Venus was dealt due to the extremities of climate change.
Studying Venus is important for scientists to learn how Earth-like planets evolve and what conditions exist on Earth-sized exoplanets. Also, probing into Venus can aid scientists to model Earth’s climate, and serves as a cautionary tale on how dramatically a planet’s climate can change.
Various exploration missions have been launched globally to understand the surface of this planet. During the inaugural meeting, discussions were held to explore the asteroids of this planet in the future. Isro chairman said that the mission team will work on identifying the uniqueness of the mission similar to what we saw with the Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions. “Goal is to review what unique additional knowledge observation can be done and see that we are not repeating what all has already been done. Repeating some of them is not a crime, but if we bring uniqueness, it will have an impact globally. It will be hailed only if it is unique, just like Chandrayaan and the Mars mission,” the chairman said.
Probing into Venus
Apart from ISRO’s orbiter mission, NASA is already a step ahead by sending two spacecraft to study Venus. Nearly $1 billion is earmarked by the American Space Agency to explore the world of Venus. The funding is set to be divided into two missions – DAVINCI+ and VERITAS, which are expected to launch between 2028-and 2030. The Indian space agency is yet to release a timeline for the mission but the work is going in the right direction by building the spacecraft.
WhatsApp us
Pingback: bilaad Alrafidain