This photo released by NASA shows the planet Venus in a composite of data from NASA's Magellan spacecraft and Pioneer Venus Orbiter
This photo released by NASA shows the planet Venus in a composite of data from NASA's Magellan spacecraft and Pioneer Venus Orbiter NASA/JPL-CALTECH / -

KEY POINTS

  • Unraveling the mysteries of dying stars and exoplanets is part of India's space agenda, ISRO's chairman said
  • The exploration of Venus, which the chairman described as an "interesting" planet, is in the pipeline as well
  • ISRO is also aiming at a December launch of its XPoSat mission

After a much-celebrated moon mission, India has its eyes and ambitions set on unraveling the mysteries surrounding exoplanets as well as the Earth's planetary neighbors, Venus and Mars.

S Somanath, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), spoke about the Indian space agency's plans during a lecture hosted by the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) on Tuesday.

While explaining the significance of a Venus mission, Somanath called the planet "interesting."

"Venus is a very interesting planet. It also has an atmosphere. Its atmosphere is so thick. The atmospheric pressure is 100 times that of Earth and it is full of acids," Somnath said. "You cannot penetrate the surface. You don't know if its surface is hard or not. Why are we trying to understand all of this? Earth could be one day Venus. I don't know. Maybe 10,000 years later we (Earth) change our characteristics. Earth was never like this. It was not a habitable place long long back."

Also in the pipeline is India's first dedicated polarimetry mission to study radiant X-ray pulsars or stars in the process of dying. ISRO is working on the X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat), and is aiming at a December launch this year, Somanath added.

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The exploration of exoplanets is also part of the agency's agenda. Somanath said there are more than 5,000 known exo-planets, and at least 100 are believed to have atmospheres. ISRO's ExoWorlds mission is aimed at exploring exoplanets and further understanding whether their conditions are suitable for life.

"We are also conceiving a satellite called ExoWorlds, a mission for looking at exo-solar planets or planets that are outside our solar system and orbiting other stars," he said in a subsequent interview.

Somnath said a Mars Lander Mission is also part of India's space exploration agenda and is currently in the conceptual stage.

"It is important to understand the evolution of planetary bodies," he said. "Only if you look at Venus, Mars, one can actually study what effects are there in your activities on Earth that actually makes it habitable or non-habitable. All this will depend on your understanding of it and the ability to act on it."

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