IIST has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) on 18th August 2025, for the development of the Retarding Potential Analyzer for Venus (RPA-V) payload. The instrument, designed to study the ionosphere of Venus, marks a significant step in India’s planetary exploration program. The project will be led by Prof. Umesh R Kadhane, along with faculty members Dr. Anoop C S, Dr. Immanuel Raja, Prof. Sooraj V. S, Dr. R Sudharshan Kaarthik, Prof. Pradeep Kumar P and Prof. Rajeevan P. P who will spearhead the development from IIST. This opportunity has been entrusted to IIST owing to its proven expertise in earlier missions, particularly ARIS-1 and ARIS-2, which successfully demonstrated the institute’s ability to deliver space-
qualified critical hardware. Building on this legacy, the RPA-V payload is expected to provide vital insights into the dynamics of the Venusian ionosphere, helping scientists better understand the planet’s atmospheric processes and its interaction with the solar wind. The project also carries immense academic value, as a large community of IIST students will contribute to the mission. Their involvement will provide invaluable hands-on training, fostering a new generation of scientists and engineers in space plasma research. This collaboration will strengthen IIST’s position as a world-class research hub for developing ionospheric measurement devices, while simultaneously shaping the skilled workforce needed for India’s future space science endeavours.

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