The Indian space program is set to venture into a new planetary terrain. The Cabinet of the Union has officially sanctioned the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM). This decision has cleared the way for the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to work towards developing the country’s first mission to the planet Venus. The mission will explore the surface, subsurface, atmosphere, and solar interaction of the planet.
518.1) Why Venus?
Dubbed Earth’s “sister planet,” owing to its similarities in physical parameters, Venus has become a very different world from our own. The thick atmosphere, high temperatures, acidic clouds and atmospheric dynamics have made Venus one of the most fascinating planets in the solar system.
Though many foreign missions have been sent to Venus, there are still some questions which have not yet been answered by scientists. Earlier missions gave vital data regarding the geology of Venus and behavior of the atmosphere, but not all events could be observed globally. ISRO claims that the mission will produce such a set of data that would assist scientists in solving those questions.
518.2) A Mission Packed with Scientific Objectives
The scientific instruments on board the VOM will study the processes and characteristics of Venus from an orbital position. The goals include studies on atmospheric processes, clouds, aerosol, lightning and ionosphere, along with surface and subsurface properties of Venus. Other objectives will include the interactions of Venus with solar wind and other solar radiation.
One specific goal of this mission would be high-resolution imaging of the surface of Venus. This will be accomplished by the proposed S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (VSAR) by ISRO, which will conduct imaging of the planet with a spatial resolution of approximately 20 to 30 metres and also the geology of the planet including impact craters and volcanoes.
Other experiments would study cloud systems on Venus, surface emissivity, plasma wave, energetic particles, and solar X-rays. Together, all these instruments aim to give scientists a comprehensive understanding of Venus from its surface/subsurface to upper atmosphere and space environment.
518.3) A Technological Challenge
A journey to Venus is quite difficult. The spacecraft will have to navigate through an environment that is vastly different from that of Earth, thus making thermal control and orbital operations quite difficult.
However, one of the goals of the mission is to showcase the technologies that are crucial for further exploration of the planets in the solar system. These include aerobraking technology, whereby atmospheric friction is used to lower the orbit of the spacecraft gradually. ISRO claims that aerobraking will take around six to eight months.
518.4) India’s Venusian Ambition
Currently, the Venus Orbiter Mission is being considered to be launched in 2028, and the LVM-3 is proposed to be used for the same. The orbit which will be followed by the spacecraft for its scientific observations will be 200 × 600 km, and the inclination of 90° is expected.
The mission is emerging as a crucial national scientific collaboration for the country. ISRO has conducted a national science meeting in October 2025, in which scientists, engineers, faculty members, and PhD students of ISRO and other institutes of India participated. More than 150 scientists have attended the meeting from more than 40 institutes outside of the Department of Space.
518.5) A New Chapter in Planetary Exploration
The approval of the Venus Orbiter Mission marks a remarkable extension of India’s planetary science program from the study of the Moon and Mars to the examination of one of the most enigmatic bodies in the Solar System. Not just visiting yet another planet, but also seeking answers to some basic questions about planetary atmospheres, geology, evolution of climate and planetary-star interactions.
For India as it looks forward to implementing its long-term Space Vision 2047, Venus represents a tough testbed in space. The mission may yield important scientific knowledge as well as a chance to demonstrate technology and skills for further interplanetary endeavors.
With a Moon mission, Mars exploration and now even a Venus mission, India’s journey of planetary exploration is entering a new stage.
Team Yuva Aaveg-
Adarsh Tiwari
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