Shukrayaan-1 mission: Rocket Lab plans to undertake the first private venture to Venus 

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Rocket Lab, the American spaceflight company, is gearing up for an extraordinary mission - the first private exploration of Venus.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Venus' Harsh Conditions:  Venus, known for its hellish surface conditions that contains a thick atmosphere with extreme pressure and temperatures up to 480°C.

Photo Credit: ISRO

Shukrayaan-1 mission: Rocket Lab plans to undertake the first private venture to Venus 

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The Venus Life Finder:  Rocket Lab's Venus Life Finder probe aims to search for life signs and organic chemistry in Venus' clouds.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Launch Strategy: The 20 kg probe will be carried to Venus on Rocket Lab's Photon spacecraft, riding an Electron rocket.

Photo Credit: NASA

Launch Date: Initially planned for mid-2023, the mission was rescheduled to January 2025 due to the unique launch window to Venus.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Earlier Launch Date: In a surprising twist, Rocket Lab now intends to launch the probe in December 2024, aligning with ISRO's Shukrayaan-1 mission to Venus, according to a News9live report. 

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Payload: The Venus probe will carry the Autofluorescence Nephelometer (AFN), weighing less than a kilogram, capable of analysing Venusian atmosphere.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Mission Cost: This groundbreaking mission is cost-efficient, with a budget of less than $10 million, in contrast to NASA's pricier missions.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Collaboration: Rocket Lab collaborates with MIT researchers, contributing to Morning Star Missions to assess Venus atmosphere's habitability. Future missions with parachutes and sample return plans are in the works.