'475°C inferno': ISRO’s plan to conquer Venus with Shukrayaan-1 is an engineer's nightmare

Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh

Venus Challenge

The mission to Venus is seen as one of the toughest yet, with 475°C temperatures and crushing atmospheric pressure making it an engineering nightmare.

Toxic Atmosphere

Venus’s dense clouds of carbon dioxide and sulphuric acid are known to corrode most materials rapidly, demanding advanced protective coatings.

Orbital Focus

Shukrayaan-1 is planned to conduct orbital studies, avoiding the harsh surface where past landers survived only for hours.

Communication Issues

Thick clouds are found to disrupt data transmission, while reduced sunlight makes solar power generation less efficient.

Material Demands

Spacecraft for Venus must be designed like deep-sea vessels, with strengthened structures and resistant materials.

Representative pic

Brief Lifespan

Previous missions to Venus’s surface have lasted mere hours due to the combination of heat and atmospheric acidity.

Scientific Goals

Venus’s atmosphere, surface processes, and subsurface layers are to be analyzed to reveal planetary evolution clues.

Climate Lessons

Valuable insights into Venus’s greenhouse effect are expected to help understand climate change on Earth.

Tech Advancement

Shukrayaan-1 is anticipated to inspire innovations in materials science and spacecraft design for future missions.