•The ₹1,236-crore Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM), recently approved by the Union Cabinet, is scheduled for launch in March 2028..
•India’s maiden mission to Venus, will embark on a 112-day journey to reach the planet.
•VOM will be launched by the Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (LVM-3).
•ISRO said that 19 payloads will be onboard VOM, of which 16 are Indian payloads, two are Indian and international collaborative payloads, and there would be one international payload.
•ISRO added that VOM will explore the planet’s atmosphere, surface and its interaction with the sun.
•“Key objectives include examining dust in the Venusian atmosphere, mapping its topography in high resolution, studying the solar X-ray spectrum near Venus, analysing Venusian airglow, and investigating sub-surface characteristics. ,” it added.