Sweden joins India's Shukrayaan mission to Venus during PM Modi's visit
ISRO and the Swedish National Space Agency signed an MoU for Sweden's role in Shukrayaan during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Sweden visit.
India’s ambitious mission to Venus, Shukrayaan mission, has received an international boost with Sweden formally joining the project during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sweden.
An agreement was signed between Indian Space Research Organisation and the Swedish National Space Agency to collaborate on the Venus mission, marking a significant expansion of scientific cooperation between the two countries in planetary exploration.
While discussions regarding Sweden’s participation in the mission had already been underway, the collaboration was formally acknowledged through a Memorandum of Understanding signed during the high-level diplomatic engagement.
As part of the mission, Sweden’s Swedish Institute of Space Physics will develop a scientific instrument called the Venusian Neutrals Analyser (VNA), which will fly aboard India’s Venus orbiter.
The instrument is designed to study the interaction between charged particles emitted by the Sun and the atmosphere of Venus, one of the most scientifically intriguing aspects of the planet.
Scientists are particularly interested in understanding how solar winds strip away atmospheric particles from Venus over time. The process is considered critical to explaining why Venus, despite being similar in size to Earth, evolved into a scorching planet with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead.
The VNA instrument will help researchers observe energetic neutral atoms and plasma interactions around Venus, providing fresh insights into atmospheric escape processes and the planet’s space environment.
India’s Shukrayaan mission is expected to become the country’s first dedicated mission to Venus and one of ISRO’s most complex planetary exploration projects after the success of Chandrayaan-3 and the Mars Orbiter Mission.
The mission aims to study Venus’ dense atmosphere, volcanic surface, weather systems and mysterious super-rotating clouds. Scientists also hope to investigate whether Venus once possessed conditions suitable for liquid water before evolving into an extreme greenhouse world.
The collaboration with Sweden highlights how ISRO’s deep-space missions are increasingly attracting international scientific partnerships. Global participation also allows planetary missions to carry more specialised instruments, improving scientific returns while strengthening diplomatic and technological ties.
With Shukrayaan, India is aiming not just to explore another planet, but also to deepen understanding of how planetary climates evolve, a question increasingly relevant as Earth faces accelerating climate change.