India announced a big step forward in planetary science with the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM), which will launch in March 2028. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently invited researchers to analyse existing Venus data and contribute to new studies that will enhance the scope of this ground-breaking mission.

Venus, sometimes referred to as Earth’s twin due to its size and composition, exhibits dramatic contrasts that continue to puzzle scientists. With surface temperatures approaching 450°C and a carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere filled with sulphuric acid clouds, it provides one of the harshest environments in the solar system.

The Venus Orbiter will carry advanced instruments, including radar systems capable of imaging the planet’s surface behind its dense cloud cover. These tools will reveal details on mountains, valleys, geological structures, and subsurface features. Other payloads will look into atmospheric composition, heat variations, cloud dynamics, and ionospheric activity.

One significant research focus will be on understanding how Venus interacts with solar radiation and solar wind in the absence of a protective magnetic field. This research may help explain why, despite their identical origins, Earth and Venus evolved in such different ways.