The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for its upcoming ventures into deep space exploration, focusing on missions to Venus and the X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat). Following the successful Aditya-L1 solar mission and Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, ISRO is now preparing to unlock the mysteries of our neighbouring planets and beyond.
ISRO Venus Mission
ISRO Chairman S Somanath, recently speaking at the Indian National Science Academy in Delhi, revealed that the mission to Venus is fully configured, with the necessary payload developed for the ambitious endeavour, according to a Times of India report. Venus, often called Earth's twin due to its similar size and density, poses intriguing challenges. The news agency quoted him saying that its atmosphere is incredibly dense, with an atmospheric pressure 100 times that of Earth and is laden with acidic compounds.
Somanath emphasised the importance of understanding Venus and Mars to study the factors influencing Earth's habitability, according to the report by the Deccan Herald. Exploring these planets can provide valuable insights into the evolution of planetary bodies and help decipher the conditions that make a planet habitable or non-habitable, the report added.
Several countries, including the European Space Agency, Japan and NASA, have previously undertaken missions to Venus. ISRO plans to launch its Venus mission in the December 2024 window, aligning the spacecraft's orbit with Venus during the subsequent year, utilising minimal propellant. This unique opportunity arises due to the specific alignment of Earth and Venus, a configuration that won't recur until 2031.
XPoSat Mission
In addition to the Venus mission, ISRO is conceptualising the X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite, also known as XPoSat, said S Somnath as per The Times of India report. The organisation is working on a satellite called ExoWorlds, designed for observing exo-solar planets—planets outside our solar system—orbiting distant stars. Somanath highlighted that there are more than 5,000 known exo-planets, with at least 100 of them possessing atmospheres.
ISRO’s Future Missions
Somanath also shared insights into ISRO's future plans, revealing that a Mars Lander Mission is in the conceptual stage. While details are scarce at this point, ISRO's vision encompasses not only our neighbouring planets but also the possibility of exploring the Martian surface in the coming years.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
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