NASA and ESA plan Venus missions for early 2030s
NASA’s DAVINCI and VERITAS, ESA’s Envision, and a private probe will launch to Venus between 2030 and 2032.
Key facts
- NASA’s DAVINCI probe will launch December 2030 and will descend through Venus’s atmosphere to capture first surface images since 1982.
- NASA’s VERITAS orbiter will launch November 2032 to map Venus’s surface with radar from orbit.
- ESA’s Envision orbiter is also scheduled for launch in 2032.
- Rocket Lab plans a privately funded probe to search for organic material in Venus’s high‑altitude clouds, potentially launching in 2027.
- Venus’s atmosphere has 93 times Earth’s sea‑level pressure and temperatures of 872°F (467°C).
According to Ars Technica, most planetary scientists say the heyday of Venus exploration was more than a generation ago. NASA’s first missions to Venus in the next decade are now on track, with launch dates announced for 2030 and 2032.
The Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI) is scheduled to launch in December 2030. It will use a parachute‑assisted descent probe to travel through the atmosphere and return the first direct images of Venus’s surface since 1982.
The Venus Emissivity, Radio science, InSAR, Topography, And Spectroscopy (VERITAS) mission will launch in November 2032. VERITAS will orbit Venus and use radar, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), and spectroscopy to map the planet’s surface and topography.
ESA is building an orbiter called Envision that will also launch in 2032. In addition, Rocket Lab aims to launch a privately funded probe in 2027 to search for signs of organic material in Venus’s high‑altitude clouds.
Venus’s atmosphere is nearly pure carbon dioxide, contains clouds of sulfuric acid, and has an air pressure 93 times that of Earth’s sea level, equivalent to about 3,000 feet underwater. Temperatures reach 872°F (467°C), making the planet one of the hottest in the solar system. The surface has been mapped only by radar, and the last direct images were taken in 1982. These missions aim to fill gaps in knowledge about Venus’s climate and geology.
Context
Venus is the planet closest to Earth and has a dense atmosphere that makes it difficult to land. Its surface has been mapped only by radar, and the last direct images were taken in 1982. The new missions aim to fill gaps in knowledge about Venus’s climate and geology.
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