Shukrayaan I

Why in news?

• ISRO was yet to receive approval from the Union government for the Shukrayaan-1 mission and that the mission could as a result be postponed to 2031.
• Shukrayaan I was expected to be launched in December 2024. But it has now been postponed.

About Shukrayaan I:

• Shukrayaan-1 is a proposed mission of ISRO to Venus.
• It aims to study Venus’s geological and volcanic activity, emissions on the ground, wind speed, cloud cover, and other planetary characteristics from an elliptical orbit.
• Shukrayaan I will be an orbiter mission.
• Its scientific payloads currently include a high-resolution synthetic aperture radar and a ground-penetrating radar.

Add ons:

• Optimal launch windows from earth to Venus occur once around every 19 months. This is why ISRO has “back-up” launch dates in 2026 and 2028, should it miss the 2024 opportunity.
• But even more optimal windows, which further reduce the amount of fuel required at lift-off, come around every eight years. Hence, the mission is now expected to be launched in 2031.

PRACTICE QUESTION

With reference to ‘Shukrayaan I’, consider the following statements:

1.The mission consists of a lander and rover

2. It aims to study Venus’s geological and volcanic activity

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer