ISRO Announces Launch Date of its Ambitious Venus Orbiter Mission

By R Anil Kumar

Bengaluru: India’s Space Agency, The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has officially announced the launch date for its highly ambitious project Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM), marking a significant Milestone in India’s quest for  Interplanetary Exploration.

Scheduled to be launched on March 29, 2028, the Mission and the Space Craft named Shukrayaan-1aims to unlock the mysteries of the Earth’s enigmatic twin- Venus.

After its Success of Chandrayaan 3, ISRO has announced the launch date for its Venus Orbiter Mission.

The Mission set for launch on March 29, 2028, will take a total of 112 days to travel to Venus.

The VOM aims to study, Venus’s atmosphere, surface and geological features, using a suite of sophisticated scientific instruments.

About VENUS ORBITER MISSION (SHUKRAYAAN-1)

The VOM will carry 19 Scientific instruments, also called Payloads, and will be launched on-board ISRO’s LVM-3 Rocket for its orbit around Venus.

The Spacecraft will carry an array of cutting-edge instruments, which will help scientists unravel the mysteries of Venus’s thick atmosphere.

This apart, the Mission helps in exploration of its Surface and the planet’s interaction with the Sun.

As per ISRO, a total of 16 Indian Payloads, 2 International Collaborative Payloads and 1 International Payload will be on-board the Shukrayaa-1 Mission.

The Spacecraft will carry an array of cutting-edge instruments, including synthetic aperture radar, infrared and ultra-violet cameras.

KEY SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES OF VOM:

• These includes examining dust in the Venusian atmosphere, mapping its Surface topography in high resolution, studying the Solar X-ray spectrum near Venus, analysing Venusian airglow and investigating Sub-surface characteristics.
• Additionally, the Mission will serve as a technology demonstration for ISRO.
• The technology demonstration include, testing aerobraking and thermal management techniques in the harsh Venusian environment, the Space Agency said.
• The Mission’s objectives also include investigating the planet’s atmospheric composition, Surface characteristics and potential volcanic or seismic activity.

WHAT WILL VOM BE EQUIPPED WITH:

The VOM will be equipped with a suite of Scientific instruments designed to explore Venusian atmosphere, Surface and plasma environment.

• VSAR (Venus S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar)-It aims to search for active Volcanoes and map Venus with high resolution, providing insights into the planet’s topography and surface properties.
• VSEAM (Venus Surface Emmissivity and Atmospheric Mapper): This hyperspectral spectrometer will study Venus’s Surface and atmosphere, focusing on Volcanic hotspots, cloud structure and water vapour mapping.
• VTC (Venus Thermal Camera): Designed to map thermal emmissions from Venusian clouds and will provide critical data on atmospheric dynamics and planetary-scale features.
• VCMC (Venus Cloud Monitoring Camera): This UV and Visible wavelength Camera will capture atmospheric circulation dynamics and study Wave phenomena and lightning,
• LIVE ( Lightning Instrument for Venus): LIVE will detect electrical activity in Venus’s atmosphere, analysing lightning and plasma emmissions.
• VASP (Venus Atmospheric Spectropolarimeter): This instrument will investigate cloud properties and global circulation.
• SPAV (Solar Occultation Photometry): SPAV will measure the vertical distribution of aerosis and haze in Venus’s mesosphere.

Among the 19 Payloads, VIRAL (Venus InfraRed Atmospheric Gases Linker) is the instrument Developed by Russia. The 2 Collaborative Payloads are the Venus Ionospheric and Solar Wind Particle Analyser (VISWAS), which is a Collaboration between ISRO’s Space Physics Lab at VSSC and a Swedish Institute.

Furthermore, the Radio Anatomy of Venus Ionosphere (RAVI) is a Collaboration with Germany.

ABOUT THE LAUNCH:

After it launch on March 29, 2028, the orbiter will take 112 days to reach its destination. According to ISRO, VOM is expected to reach Venus on July 19, 2028.

ISRO says that LVM-3 will place the Spacecraft in an Elliptical parking Orbit (EPO) of 170 Km×36,000 Km at 21.5° inclination and an Argument of Perigee (AOP). This will define the path of the  Spacecraft to the final destination of 178°.

After the cruise phase, Venus Orbit Injection (VOI), will be at 500 Km × 60,000 Km. Aerobraking will be employed for over a period of 6 to 8 months from VOI to achieve the desired low altitude Science Orbit of 200Km × 600 Km with an inclination of around 90° to carry proposed Science Studies for a period of 5 years, ISRO stated.

The VOM represents a Collaborative Effort with an International participation from Russia, France, Germany and Sweden.

ISRO’s VOM is a testament to India’s Commitment to expanding its Space exploration endeavours and will contribute valuable data to the global Scientific community.