Explore Worlds
Find Life
Defend Earth
Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy (VERITAS)
Mission Overview
VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio science, Insar, Topography, And Spectroscopy) is a Discovery class mission planned to orbit Venus and return data for four Venus rotations (roughly 2 1/2 Earth years). The scientific objectives are to study past and present water, current or recent volcanic activity, and the geologic evolution of Venus.
VERITAS is scheduled to launch and reach Venus no earlier than 2031, with data acquisition beginning about a year after launch and final circular science orbit achieved, using aerobraking, a year after that. The final orbit would have an altitude of less than 250 km.
The VERITAS science payload comprises two instruments, the Venus Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (VISAR) and the Venus Emissivity Mapper (VEM). It also has a gravity science experiment using a Ka-band uplink and downlink. Science return is expected to include a digital elevation model with 5 meter height resolution, synthetic aperture radar imaging at 30 meters horizontal resolution globally and 15 meter resolution over about 20% of the surface, and surface deformation measurements at 2 mm precision. It would also return surface coverage in multiple near infrared bands for water vapor measurements and global gravity field with 160 km resolution and 3 mgal accuracy.
Note: Mission information is from NASA's Space Science Data Coordinated Archive.
Spending Summary
| FY 2024 Total | By of FY 2024 | By of FY 2025 | Change from FY 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obligations | $4.7M | $4.7M | $28.5M | +$23.8M |
| Outlays | $4.0M | $4.0M | $23.0M | +$20.0M |
Comparing Contract Obligations
Running sum of 1 award. Shows cumulative actual spending by fiscal period. Period 2 represents combined Oct-Nov data (this is a reporting quirk of USASpending.gov). Negative values indicate adjustments or credits. Data last updated: 2026-01-13
Download Options
What are obligations? Obligations represent NASA's legal commitments to spend money — contracts signed, grants awarded, and purchase orders issued. Unlike outlays (actual payments), obligations show when spending decisions are made.
Reading this chart: The chart displays cumulative obligations throughout the fiscal year (October through September). The solid line shows the current fiscal year's running total, while the dotted line (when available) shows the previous year for comparison. This allows you to see spending patterns and track whether funding is ahead or behind the prior year's pace.
Comparing Contract Outlays
Running sum of 1 award. Shows cumulative actual spending by fiscal period. Period 2 represents combined Oct-Nov data (this is a reporting quirk of USASpending.gov). Negative values indicate adjustments or credits. Data last updated: 2026-01-13
Download Options
What are outlays? Outlays represent actual cash payments made by NASA. While obligations show when spending decisions are made, outlays show when money actually leaves the treasury.
Reading this chart: The chart displays cumulative outlays throughout the fiscal year (October through September). The solid line shows the current fiscal year's actual spending, while the dotted line (when available) shows the previous year for comparison. This reveals the actual cash flow timing and whether spending is keeping pace with the prior year.