SHUKRAYAAN: ISRO to launch Venus Mission in 2025

On September 30, 2020, the French Space Agency CNES announced that it is to participate in ISRO’s Venus Mission, SHUKRAYAAN that is to be launched in 2025. The ISRO chairman and his French Counter held talks to review the areas of cooperation between the countries.

Highlights

VIRAL is Venus Infrared Atmospheric Gases Linker instrument that was co-developed with Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos and LATMOS atmospheres. After its Mars orbiter mission, Mangalyaan and moon mission Chandrayaan-1 and Chandrayaan-2, ISRO has now set its eyes on Venus.

France is one of the three countries with whom India collaborates in strategic sectors such as space, nuclear and defence. The two countries are US and Russia.

In 2018, India and France issued a “Joint Vision for Space cooperation”

Venus Mission

So far, 42 Venus missions have been sent to Venus from planet Earth. Japan’s Akatsuki is currently flying around Venus.

Phosphine in Venus

In September 2020, a team of International Astronomers discovered the presence of phosphine gas in the atmosphere of Venus. The European space Agency Mission, Venus Express had earlier found signs of ozone in the upper atmosphere of Venus in 2011. These are considered as biomarkers, that is, possibility of presence of life forms in the planet.

About Planet Venus

Venus is the hottest planet of the solar system. It is also called Earth’s Twin. The surface temperatures of Venus reach 880 degrees Fahrenheit. It has highly dense clouds of 65 miles that puts the atmospheric pressure 90 times as felt on the Earth’s surface. There are no moons or rings around Venus.

Phosphine

It is a colourless gas. It is highly reactive and flammable. It is present in the Earth’s atmosphere in traces. This is because it is rapidly destroyed by Oxygen.

About SHUKRAYAAN

The mission is to study atmospheric chemistry, compositional variations and dynamics of Planet Venus. Earlier, the mission was scheduled to be launched in 2023.

Month: Current Affairs - October, 2020