Department of Physics, Central University of Kashmir, (CUKashmir) celebrated the National Space Day with enthusiasm and academic fervour at Tulmulla on Thursday.

It commemorated India's monumental achievements in space exploration, particularly the successful soft landing of "Chandrayaan-3" on the lunar South Pole.

Delivering the plenary talk on the theme "India's First Mission to Venus: An Early Overview", Prof. P. Sreekumar, Satish Dhawan Professor at ISRO, Advisor to its Space Science Programme and recipient of the Vikram Sarabhai award, provided insights into India's interplanetary endeavour and highlighted how India's space missions have consistently contributed to scientific knowledge while showcasing technological prowess. “ISRO is now targeting 2031 for the launch of Shukrayaan-1, taking advantage of an optimal window that reduces fuel requirements. This represents a shift from the earlier planned launch date,” Prof. Sreekumar revealed. He explained that optimal launch windows from Earth to Venus occur approximately every 19 months, but particularly favourable windows that significantly reduce fuel requirements appear roughly every eight years. He mentioned that the 2031 window is especially advantageous for mission planning.

Prof. Sreekumar emphasised that India's Venus mission represents a significant milestone in the country's space exploration journey, following the successful Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan). “The mission will feature international collaboration, with several scientific payloads from other countries, enhancing global scientific cooperation and space diplomacy.”

The speaker while deliberating on scientific objectives stressed that the mission aims to study Venus's geological and volcanic activity, surface emissions, wind speed, cloud cover, and other planetary characteristics from an elliptical orbit.

In his address, HoD Physics, Dr. Debanjan Bose, said, the event served to inspire students and faculty about India's growing capabilities in space technology and planetary exploration. He thanked the Vice-Chancellor Prof. A. Ravinder Nath, Dean Academic Affairs Prof. Shahid Rasool, Dean School of Physical and Chemical Science Prof. Mohammad Yousuf, for their continuous support.

The event was followed by the Space Quiz and treasure hunt competition by the students. In the quiz 1st position was bagged by Abid Hassan from 5th semester, 2nd position was won by Kaiser Farooq of 7th semester and 3rd position was secured by Sameer Shabir 3rd semester. The winners of the treasure hunt were led by Aqib Mohammad from 7th semester.

Dr. Debanjan Bose, proposed the vote of thanks.