Correct Answer : Venus
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday (18th Sep 2024) cleared the new moon mission Chandrayaan-4 and approved the development of the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) as part of the government’s vision to explore and study the Earth’s closest planet.
The Chandrayaan-4 will develop and demonstrate the technologies to come back to Earth after successfully landing on the moon and also collect lunar samples for analysis on Earth.
VOM, scheduled to launch in March 2028, will focus on putting a scientific spacecraft in the orbit of Venus for a better understanding of its surface and subsurface, atmospheric processes, and the influence of the sun on the Venusian atmosphere.
The Chandrayaan-4 mission will cost Rs 2104.06 crore. The budget includes spacecraft development and realisation, two LVM3 launches, external deep space network support, and conducting special tests for design validation, finally leading to the landing on the moon’s surface and safe return to Earth along with the collected lunar samples.
Major technologies that are required for docking/undocking, landing, safe return to Earth and also accomplishing lunar sample collection and analysis would be demonstrated. The mission is expected to be completed within 36 months of approval with the participation of industry and academia.
The Cabinet allocated Rs 1,236 crore for VOM, of which Rs 824 crore will be spent on the spacecraft. The cost includes the development and realisation of the spacecraft including its specific payloads and technology elements, global ground station support cost for navigation and network, as well as the cost of the launch vehicle.
Venus is believed to have formed in conditions similar to Earth. The planet offers a unique opportunity to understand how planetary environments can evolve very differently.
The VOM to be accomplished by the Department of Space is envisaged to orbit a scientific spacecraft in the orbit of Venus. This is to study the underlying causes of the transformation of Venus, which is believed to have once been habitable and quite similar to Earth. The exploration would be an invaluable aid in understanding the evolution of the sister planets, both Venus and Earth..
Source : Business Standard
