The accomplishments of Chandryaan-3 and the Mangalyaan missions have propelled the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) towards conceiving more and more ambitious projects and endeavours for the future. The Indian Space Agency is planning to target two of the most hostile planets in the solar system, namely the Sun and Venus.
ISRO is currently planning and preparing a spacecraft to orbit the second most fierce planet, Venus. The mission and the orbiter have been named Shukrayaan-1.
Aim of the Project
The mission’s primary objective is to delve into the depths beneath the surface of the solar system’s most scorching planet. Additionally, the aim is to unravel the enigmatic phenomenon concealed within the clouds of sulfuric acid. The mission will be launched in the month of December 2024.
Focus of the Mission
The mission’s main focus is to study three important areas. First, researchers will study the layers of the planet’s surface and what is below it, as well as the process that shapes its outer appearance. Second, they want to learn more about the chemicals in the air, how the atmosphere moves and why it changes.
Lastly, they are very interested in knowing how the energy from the Sun reaches Venus and how it affects the layer of charged particles around the planet. All of this will help them understand the makeup and behaviour of Venus’s air and surroundings.
Depending on its final design, the orbiter is poised to accommodate a scientific payload that weighs around 100 kilograms while boasting an available power supply of 500W.
How the Mission has been planned
In its initial stage, the orbiter will assume an elliptical orbit around Venus featuring a periapsis (closest point to Venus) at a distance of 500km and an apoapsis (farthest point from Venus) situated at a distance of 60,000 kilometres. The launch of the satellite is scheduled to take place aboard the GSLV Mk-II Rocket. (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle).
Sweden is also actively participating in India’s upcoming Venus Mission (Shukrayaan-1) and is contributing a number of scientific instruments that will be crucial in studying the planet.
India leads a global effort
The Institute of Space Physics IRF will be providing the Venusian Neutrals Analyzer (VNA), which is a satellite instrument. This apparatus is designed to investigate the interactions with the charged particles emitted by the Sun and the atmosphere exosphere of Venus.
The Mission’s significance lies in its pioneering nature. To date, no other observations of the sub-surface of Venus have been conducted. As a part of this mission, a sub-surface radar will be deployed for the first time, enabling penetration into the sub-surface of Venus to a depth of a few hundred meters.
Furthermore, the mission will include an instrument intended for examining the atmosphere of Venus atmosphere will using infrared, ultraviolet and submillimetre wavelengths. This multifaceted exploration promises insights into the evolutionary trajectories of Earth-like planets and the atmospheric conditions that shape them.
Challenges and Obstacles in the Mission
The Shukrayaan Mission will face and encounter a number of formidable challenges. Navigating through the dense atmosphere of Venus and dealing with the volatile and quite violent surface activity on Venus presents a significantly more challenging task compared to missions such as the Moon or Mars.
In order to study Venus in a more meaningful way, Shukrayaan will require instruments capable of delving deep into its atmosphere, ones that can cut through it. This necessitates the use of high-resolution cameras and sensors that can effectively penetrate the thick clouds of highly concentrated and toxic sulfuric acid that engulf the atmosphere and exosphere of the second planet of the Solar System in astronomy.
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