India’s Shukrayaan-1 Mission to Explore Venus Unveiled

Why in the news?

India’s upcoming Shukrayaan-1 mission to Venus is generating excitement as it aims to explore the planet’s atmosphere and surface, enhancing understanding of planetary evolution and climate change.

Overview of Shukrayaan-1 Mission:

  • Objective: India’s Venus Orbiter Mission, Shukrayaan-1, aims to explore Venus, often referred to as Earth’s “twin.”
  • Goals: Uncover the planet’s thick atmosphere, extreme surface conditions, and interaction with solar wind.

Instruments and Technology

  • Key Instruments:
    • Synthetic Aperture Radar: To map Venus’ surface features.
    • Mass Spectrometers: For analysing atmospheric composition.
  • Mission Significance: The data collected will enhance understanding of Venus’s environment and its divergence from Earth.

Implications for Science and Exploration:

  • Insights into Planetary Evolution: The mission could reveal crucial information about the evolution of planets in our solar system.
  • Climate Change Understanding: Findings may also provide parallels to Earth’s climate change.
  • India’s Role in Space Exploration: Shukrayaan-1 reinforces India’s expanding influence and capabilities in global space exploration efforts.

About Shukrayaan-1:

  • Mission Type: Orbiter mission to study Venus, Earth’s “twin.”
  • Scientific Payloads: High-resolution synthetic aperture radar and ground-penetrating radar.
  • Launch Vehicle: GSLV Mk II with a launch mass of 2,500 kg.
  • Orbit Details: Initial elliptical orbit with 500 km periapsis and 60,000 km apoapsis.

Objectives:

  • Surface and Atmosphere Study: Penetrate dense atmosphere to uncover geological secrets.
  • Geological Composition Analysis: Provide insights into Venus’s geological history.
  • Solar Radiation Interaction: Investigate the relationship between solar radiation and surface particles.

Significance and Challenges:

  • Scientific Importance: First mission to study Venus’s sub-surface and atmosphere in-depth.
  • Potential for Life: Phosphine detection raises hopes for microbial life.
  • Challenges: Extreme temperatures (460°C), crushing pressure, corrosive atmosphere, and communication difficulties hinder surface missions.

Historical Missions to Venus:

  • Venera Series (1961-1984): Soviet Union’s pioneering missions with flybys, orbiters, landers, and balloons.
  • Pioneer Venus (1978): First U.S. mission with an orbiter and multiprobe, studying atmospheric composition, temperature, and surface features.

Notable Missions:

  • Magellan (1989): NASA’s mission that mapped Venus using radar imaging, gathering detailed geological information over four years.
  • Akatsuki (2010): JAXA orbiter studying atmospheric circulation patterns with infrared cameras.

Upcoming Missions:

  • VERITAS (2026): NASA’s mission to map Venus’s surface and study geology using radar imaging.
  • DAVINCI (2026): NASA’s mission focused on analysing Venus’s atmosphere.
  • EnVision (2030s): ESA’s orbiter aimed at creating high-resolution surface maps and understanding geology.

Associated Article:

https://universalinstitutions.com/shukrayaan-i-venus-mission/ 

Sources Referred:

PIB, The Hindu, Indian Express, Hindustan Times