Sweden joins India's Venus mission; Norway inks space cooperation MoU

Space collaboration got a big boost during PM Modi’s visit to Europe. Sweden has formally joined India’s orbiter mission to the Venus planet by signing an agreement to collaborate on the interplanetary mission. And the Norwegian Space Agency has signed an MoU with Isro to give a new dimension to space cooperation between the two countries. As part of the Venus (popular as ‘Shukrayaan’) 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. VNA will study how charged particles from the Sun interact with the atmosphere and exosphere of Venus. India’s Venus spacecraft will embark on a 112-day journey and is expected to reach the planet by July 2028. Talking about the Venus mission in presence of PM Modi on May 17, Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson said, “Sweden is proud to be on our way to Venus with India.” “Isro and Sweden’s National Space Agency have joined forces since the 1980s,” Kristersson said while using this historical context to highlight how the new Venus mission partnership builds upon decades of trust. The Venus orbiter mission, approved by the Modi cabinet in 2024 with an outlay of Rs 1,236 crore, involves launching the spacecraft aboard an LVM-3 rocket into an initial elliptical orbit before eventually settling into a Venusian orbit with a periapsis of 500 km and an apoapsis of 60,000 km. The mission will carry 19 payloads in all, spanning Indian and international instruments, and its Preliminary Design Review was completed in April 2026. Through this mission, Isro 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. On the MoU between Isro and the Norwegian Space Agency, PM Modi said in Norway on Monday, “We are grateful to Norway for supporting the operations of India’s Arctic research station Himadri. The MoU signed between Isro and the Norwegian Space Agency will give a new dimension to our space cooperation. Through deeper collaboration in these fields, our scientists will contribute towards understanding climate change, protecting fragile ecosystems and securing humanity’s future. India and Norway’s Green Strategic Partnership will benefit the entire world.

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