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Space Topics

Venus Express


Venus Express raw image data was released to the Internet in August 2008. Browse the images here!

Venus Express is Earth's first orbital mission to that planet since Magellan arrived in 1990. The mission's objectives are primarily to study the thick atmosphere of Venus, from the tops of its sulfuric acid clouds, to the searing heat and crushing pressure of the air at the surface. Close study of Venus' atmosphere will address the most fundamental question about Earth's "sister planet" -- why doesn't Venus look more like Earth? And what calamities in Venus' climatic history led to the runaway greenhouse that makes it such a hellish place?

Venus Express is the third in a related family of ESA missions. Its engineering reuses much of the spacecraft design, systems, and science instruments from two previous ESA missions: Mars Express and Rosetta. Despite the fact that Venus is a very different planet from either Mars or Rosetta's target comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the instruments that were designed for Mars Express and Rosetta will serve Venus Express well. In fact, mission scientists are very hopeful that Venus Express' cameras will be able to penetrate Venus' thick clouds and see the surface in infrared wavelengths for the first time, just as Cassini's cameras did at Titan.

Venus Express' nominal mission lasted two sidereal Venus days, until September 2008. The mission has been extended twice, most recently to December 31, 2009.

Venus Express Facts
Launch date: November 9, 2005 at 03:33:34 UTC
Venus arrival: April 11, 2006
Nominal mission end: September 2008 (after two Venus sidereal days)