The Centre has given its go-ahead to ISRO for the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM). Expected to launch in March 2028, this mission will mark India’s next major step in planetary exploration, taking its research beyond the Moon and Mars. The Cabinet led by PM Narendra Modi has approved Rs 1,236 crore for the VOM, that is to be managed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Venus, Earth’s closest planetary neighbour, holds immense scientific value. Due to its similar size and composition, Venus is often referred to as Earth’s “twin”. Venus is believed to have once harboured conditions suitable for life. However, the planet underwent a dramatic transformation, evolving into an extremely hostile environment with surface temperatures exceeding 450°C and an atmosphere filled with toxic gases.
Venus’s dense atmosphere creates an intense greenhouse effect, trapping heat and making it the hottest planet in the solar system. As explained by NASA, its surface temperatures are so extreme that they can melt lead. Beneath the thick, perpetual clouds, the planet features volcanic landscapes and distorted mountain ranges.
Venus is said to orbit the Sun at an average distance of 67 million miles (108 million kilometres), or 0.72 astronomical units (AU) — one AU represents the distance between Earth and the Sun. At this range, sunlight takes about six minutes to reach Venus.
By studying Venus, Indian scientists hope to unlock answers to why the planet developed so differently despite being so close to Earth. The mission to be undertaken by the Department of Space aims for “better understanding of the Venusian surface and subsurface, atmospheric processes and influence of Sun on Venusian atmosphere”, the department said in a statement.
ISRO will be in charge of the development of spacecraft and its 2028 launch. Officials said the data generated would be disseminated through existing mechanisms to the scientific community.
This will be the second interplanetary mission for India after it launched the Mars Orbiter Mission on November 5, 2013, which entered the Martian orbit on September 24, 2014.
The VOM will place a scientific spacecraft in orbit around Venus, enabling an in-depth study of the planet’s environment. ISRO’s key focus areas include Venus’s surface topography, volcanic activity, lightning phenomena, and atmospheric chemistry. One of the mission’s most intriguing goals is to examine how solar radiation interacts with Venus’s atmosphere, a dynamic that could shed light on broader solar-planet interactions across the solar system.
“The Venus mission will also study the underlying causes of the transformation of Venus, which is believed to be once habitable and quite similar to Earth,” an official said at the media briefing on September 18.
This analysis will help scientists draw comparisons with Earth’s atmospheric processes and assess how certain factors could shape planetary environments.
The mission will involve various industries for spacecraft and launch vehicle development, creating significant employment opportunities. Moreover, the technologies developed through this mission are expected to have spin-off benefits for other sectors, driving advancements in navigation, telemetry, and space communication.
According to officials, the mission will strengthen India’s capabilities for future planetary exploration.
ISRO plans to leverage this experience for missions with larger payloads and more complex orbital insertion techniques. The Venus mission will also provide academic institutions and students with critical training opportunities in spacecraft design, development, and testing, fostering the next generation of space scientists in India, officials said.
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