India has taken another big step in the field of research in space. After the success of Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan, India has started working on the mission ‘Shukrayan’. Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system. It is also closest to Earth. It can be launched in December 2024. On Wednesday itself, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman S. Somnath has announced this.
However, no official name has been given to the vehicle to be sent to Venus yet. It is being speculated that the way the orbiter sent to the moon was named Chandrayaan and the orbiter sent to Mars was named Mangalyaan, similarly this mission being sent to Venus could be named Shukrayaan.
After America, Russia, European Space Agency and Japan, India will be the fifth country to send a spacecraft to Venus. In such a situation, we will tell you why this mission is important for India? What is the planning done by ISRO for Shukrayan and what will be explored here?
What will the orbiter detect?
Shukrayaan will study the atmosphere of the planet Venus. It is clear from the studies that have been done so far that this planet is not at all favorable for life. The entire planet is surrounded by clouds of sulfuric acid.
The planet Venus is closest to Earth. It is considered the first planet in the Solar System, where there was life. Once upon a time it was just like the earth. Similar to Earth in size. Like the Earth, there was an ocean there too. The climate there was also like that of the earth. But now the planet Venus is not fit for life. The surface temperature there is 900 °F, or 475 °C. This temperature is high enough to melt even glass.
The planet Venus is full of carbon dioxide. The density of the atmosphere here is 50 times greater than that of Earth. It is the hottest planet in the Solar System. Why is Venus, once the first living planet in the Solar System, like hell today? Why and how did this happen? Wouldn’t the situation on earth be the same? Scientists around the world are trying to find answers to these questions. These answers are also being sought so that if there is any kind of trouble on the earth in future, then it can be avoided in time.
By sending a vehicle, ISRO will examine the surface here. The layers below the surface will be examined. Where volcanoes are active on Venus, how lava is flowing, what the atmosphere is made of, all this will be studied. What effect do solar winds have on Venus’s ionosphere, it will also be investigated.
What are the plans of ISRO?
Two orbiters to be sent to space are already ready with India. Work is also underway on another vehicle. The most important instrument of Shukrayaan is its Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar which has been prepared by ISRO for Chandrayaan-2 mission. This radar has a resolution of 4 times higher than the radar of the Mangalyan Orbiter Mission launched by the American Space Agency NASA in 1989. GSLV Mk-II or the even more powerful GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle can be used for Shukrayan.
