ISRO announces target date for launch of Venus orbiter mission

India's Venus orbiter mission will explore Venus's atmosphere and surface. The ISRO mission will utilise the LVM-3 rocket.

India's Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM), aimed at studying various aspects of the planet, is scheduled for launch in March 2028, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Saturday.

India's Venus mission to study atmosphere and geology scheduled for 2028 launch

The interplanetary mission, approved in the latest Cabinet meeting, will use ISRO's new heavy-lift launch vehicle, LVM-3.

ISRO sets dates for Venus mission

ISRO is targeting a launch opportunity on March 29, 2028, to send the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) aboard the LVM-3 rocket. The rocket will place the spacecraft in an Elliptical Parking Orbit (EPO) of 170 km x 36,000 km, with a 21.5° inclination and an Argument of Perigee (AOP) of 178°.

The orbiter is expected to arrive in Venus around July 19, four months after launch.

Following the cruise phase, the orbiter will enter a 500 km x 60,000 km orbit via Venus Orbit Injection (VOI). Aerobraking, lasting 6 to 8 months, will gradually reduce the orbit to the target low-altitude science orbit of 200 km x 600 km, with an inclination of around 90º.

This orbit will allow high-resolution studies of Venus' surface and atmosphere, as well as in-situ ionospheric observations, over a planned mission duration of 5 years.

What is ISRO's Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM)?

• The upcoming Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM) will focus on exploring Venus’s atmosphere and geology, gathering crucial scientific data on the planet’s thick atmosphere.

• The mission’s objective is to study Venus's surface, subsurface, and atmospheric processes, along with the impact of solar activity on its atmosphere.

• Venus is considered key to understanding planetary evolution, as it may have once had conditions similar to Earth.

• ISRO will manage the spacecraft's development and launch, with a total budget of ₹1,236 crore, ₹824 crore of which will go towards building the spacecraft.