Union Cabinet approves Venus mission, Indian space station among 4 key Isro projects

Isro will aim for a March 2028 launch for the Venus mission.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw briefs the media on Cabinet decisions, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (PTI Photo)

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved four big-ticket space projects, including the next mission to the moon, a mission to the planet Venus, follow-ups to the ongoing Ganganyaan mission and the setting up of an Indian Space Station. Wednesday’s approvals were in line with the Vision 2047 mapped by the space agency.

“All the missions are time-bound and there has been good progress on all of these,” said Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while announcing the Cabinet decisions.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will aim for a March 2028 launch for the Venus mission — when Earth and Venus are at their closest. This will be India’s second mission to a planet, after the Mars Orbiter Mission in 2014. The project has been approved for R 1,236 crore. An orbiter going around the planet will study the surface of the planet, its dust and cloud, volcanism, atmosphere and ionosphere, as well as the interaction of the planet with the sun.

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When it comes to the Chandrayaan-4 mission, the project was approved for Rs 2,014 crore for 36 months. As reported by The Indian Express, the mission will have five modules that will be carried to space on two different launches. The mission is designed to land on the lunar surface, collect samples, store them in a vacuum container, and bring them back. The mission will also see docking and undocking — two spacecraft aligning and coming together in orbit — that India hasn’t attempted so far. India plans to send humans to the moon by 2040.

“These are the preparatory steps for the vision of manned mission to the moon. This will be a historic mission. Just landing on the moon was a big step, now we will bring back samples from the moon,” said Vaishnaw.

The Union Cabinet also approved the continuation of the Gaganyaan mission and the setting up of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS) at the cost of Rs 20,193 crore. The space agency has set a deadline of December 2029 for the completion of all launches and operations of the first module of BAS. The project will have eight missions, including four needed to build the space station. This will be in addition to the two uncrewed and one crewed mission that has already been approved for the first human spaceflight under the Gaganyaan mission.

The fourth project to get the Cabinet nod was the building of the Next Generation Launch Vehicle, which will increase Isro’s launch capability from the current 10T to the low earth orbit to 30T to the low earth orbit. This launch vehicle is one of the requirements for setting up of BAS. The project will cost Rs 8,239 crore and will take 96 months — with the first launch taking place in 84 months.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

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