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After Mars mission ISRO aims for Venus

After the successful Mars mission ISRO now aims for a mission to planet Venus.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has invited scientists to suggest studies for a potential orbiter mission to Venus, somewhat similar to the one that landed in Mars.

Venus, second in order from the Sun, is nearly 162 million miles away from Earth. Described as Earth’s twin sister, is similar to our planet in size, mass, density, gravity, and is also believed to be around 4.5 billion years old. It takes only 225 days to revolve around the Sun and the surface is very hot due to nearness to the Sun.

ISRO plans to send a spacecraft that will initially go around Venus in an elliptical orbit before getting closer to the ‘Yellow Planet’. It will carry instruments weighing 175 kg and using 500W of power. The scientific community has been told to suggest space-based studies by May 19.

India’s previous and second planetary outing, the record-setting Rs. 450-crore Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) of 2013, continues to impress. The orbiter is going round the Red Planet even as you read this that too beyond its planned life of six months.

An orbiter sent to the Moon in 2008 was delivering data until about three months before its estimated life span. A second Moon landing mission is planned in early 2018.

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