Context
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch a spacecraft to Venus in December 2024.
Key-objectives of the mission
- To study what lies below the surface of Venus.
- To study Venus’ atmosphere, which is toxic and corrosive in nature as clouds of sulfuric acid cover the planet
About Venus
- Venus is the second planet from the sun and the hottest planet in the solar system with a surface temperature of 500C – high enough to melt lead.
- The planet’s thick atmosphere has cranked the surface pressure up to 90 bars.
- A single Venusian rotation takes 243.0226 Earth days. That means a day lasts longer than a year on Venus, which makes a complete orbit around the sun in 225 Earth days.
- The Venusian planetary core has a diameter of about 4,360 miles (7,000 km), comparable to Earth’s core.
- Venus is one of just two planets that rotate from east to west. Only Venus and Uranus have this “backwards” rotation.
Historic missions to Venus
- Magellan – a NASA mission that ended in 1994.
- Venus Express– A European mission- focused on atmospheric science.
- Akatsuki– Japanese spacecraft- focused on atmospheric science.
