India Approves 'Venus Orbiter Mission' and Sets Sights on Indian Space Station by 2035

After the success of Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan, India can now take another big leap into space and soon reach closer to Venus. Many important decisions were taken in the cabinet meeting led by PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday, one of which includes the approval of 'Venus Orbiter Mission'. Apart from this, the Modi cabinet has also given the green signal to the Chandrayaan-4 mission and the establishment of the Bharatiya Antariksha Station (BAS) in space. The Government of India has set a target of establishing its space station in space by 2035 and sending astronauts to the moon by 2040.

It is worth noting that the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the development of 'Venus Orbiter Mission' (Shukrayaan) for the exploration and study of Venus. The 'Venus Orbiter Mission' operated by the Department of Space will include setting up a spacecraft in the orbit of Venus so that its surface and subsurface, atmospheric processes and the effect of the Sun on Venus' atmosphere can be better understood. A statement said that Venus, which is the closest planet to Earth and is believed to have been formed under conditions similar to Earth, provides a unique opportunity to understand how planetary environments can evolve in very different ways.

It said that studying the underlying causes of the changes in Venus will prove to be very helpful in understanding the evolution of both Venus and Earth. The Cabinet has allocated Rs 1,236 crore for this mission, out of which Rs 824 crore will be spent on the development of spacecraft by the Indian Space Research Organization. It is worth noting that after the expansion of the scope of the Gaganyaan project, it now includes eight missions to be completed by December 2028, including the launch of the Bharatiya Antariksha Station. The total funding for the Gaganyaan program has been increased to Rs 20,193 crore with an additional allocation of Rs 11,170 crore to accommodate the expanded scope.