ISRO's Bold Journey to Venus: Inviting Global Minds for Mission Shukrayaan-1

India's space agency, ISRO, is setting its sights on a new frontier: Venus. With the ambitious Shukrayaan-1 orbiter mission planned for 2028, ISRO is actively engaging the global scientific community, inviting research proposals to maximize the mission's scientific output. This collaborative approach underscores the agency's commitment to advancing planetary science and understanding Earth's enigmatic sister planet.

The call for proposals has garnered significant international interest, leading to the shortlisting of 12 critical payloads.

These instruments are designed to conduct a comprehensive study of Venus's atmosphere, surface, and subsurface, providing invaluable data that could unravel long-standing mysteries about its evolution and why it became a runaway greenhouse world, starkly different from Earth.

Among the shortlisted payloads are advanced spectrometers for atmospheric composition analysis, radar systems for surface mapping through Venus's thick clouds, and instruments to study solar wind interaction and atmospheric escape.

The selection process was rigorous, prioritizing instruments that offer novel scientific insights and demonstrate robust technical feasibility.

The Shukrayaan-1 mission aims to orbit Venus for an extended period, allowing for detailed observations over several Venusian days and nights. This duration is crucial for understanding dynamic processes in its atmosphere and observing potential volcanic activity or tectonic movements on its surface.

The data collected will contribute significantly to comparative planetology, offering clues about exoplanetary systems and the conditions for habitability.

This initiative by ISRO is not just about launching a spacecraft; it's about fostering international scientific cooperation and pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.

By involving researchers from around the world, ISRO is ensuring that Shukrayaan-1 will be a truly global endeavor, with its scientific findings benefiting the entire planetary science community. The countdown to 2028 has begun, and the anticipation for Venus's secrets to be unveiled is palpable.