AHMEDABAD, MAR 7: India is allocating Rs 1,500 crore for its ambitious first Venus mission—dubbed Shukra Graha—to study the planet’s atmosphere and uncover how it has shaped Earth over millennia.
ISRO Director in Ahmedabad, Dr. Nilesh Desai, shared these details with a visiting media delegation from Jammu and Kashmir. He said the Ministry of Atomic Energy and Space has greenlit the funds, and ISRO teams have kicked off work on the project.
Some MPs raised eyebrows over the hefty spend, citing Venus’s toxic mix of helium and carbon dioxide. But the government countered that probing Venus’s influence on Earth and its sluggish rotation—one day there equals 243 Earth days—is crucial. Its atmosphere brims with carbon dioxide and sulfuric acid clouds.
Dr. Desai highlighted the Modi government’s push: space research funding has jumped from 1.5% to 2.5% of the national budget. “To match the US, China, and Japan, India should aim for 5-7%, or even 10%,” he urged, noting major spends go to defense, education, and agriculture.
ISRO is juggling 230 global projects from its five key centers, including Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, and Sriharikota. It’s partnering with NASA and others.
On the Mars mission, Desai called landing there easier than the Moon—Mars has flatter plains versus lunar craters. Chandrayaan-2 and -3 faced brutal challenges at the Moon’s north pole, with -200°C temps knocking out instruments that took extra fixes to revive.
Reaching Mars takes at least 10 months via unmanned orbiter, lander, and rover to explore the “Red Planet,” rich in iron oxide. Scientists have begun groundwork.
The Modi government is opening doors for private players, like the US model, with new space regulations and a dedicated authority. Public funds will fuel broader Indian space ambitions, Desai added.
