Top 5 Venus Missions Launching Soon: NASA's DAVINCI, VERITAS & More! (2025)

These 5 upcoming Venus missions could revolutionize our understanding of Earth's 'evil twin' in the next decade.

Venus, the planet often referred to as Earth's 'evil twin' due to its similar size and proximity to the Sun, has been relatively unexplored compared to other celestial bodies. However, several exciting missions are on the horizon, each with unique objectives and technologies.

1. NASA's DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging):

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   • This $500 million mission aims to launch in the early 2030s as a combination orbiter and descent probe.
   • The orbiter will study Venus' clouds and mountains during flybys, while the 3-foot-wide descent probe will catalog the planet's thick atmosphere and sulfuric acid-laden clouds, as well as capture images of the surface terrain.
   • DAVINCI will be the first mission to explore the chemical composition of Venus' lower atmosphere, offering insights into the planet's surface and subsurface processes.

2. NASA's VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography and Spectroscopy):

   • VERITAS is scheduled to launch no earlier than 2031, focusing on the divergence of Venus and Earth's planetary histories.
   • It will orbit the poles of Venus, initially with a 120-hour, highly elliptical orbit, later transitioning to a 10-hour orbit via a second engine burn.
   • VERITAS will use 'aerobraking' to lower its orbit, a technique that will allow it to carry less fuel and prioritize instrumentation.

3. European Space Agency's Envision:

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   • Envision is set to launch no earlier than November 2031 aboard an Arianespace Ariane 6 rocket.
   • Led by ESA, the mission will include a synthetic aperture radar from NASA and support from the Deep Space Network.
   • However, NASA's contribution is at risk due to proposed budget cuts.
   • Envision will focus on the origins of habitability in the solar system, examining Venus' subsurface and upper atmosphere over four Earth years.

4. Rocket Lab's Venus Life Finder:

   • This private mission, partnering with MIT, aims to launch a small spacecraft to Venus in search of organic compounds in the cloud layers.
   • The mission includes a probe that will fall into Venus' atmosphere, collecting data at altitudes between 37 and 28 miles.
   • It will use a laser science instrument to examine cloud molecules, potentially identifying organic molecules that may glow or autofluoresce.

5. Indian Space Research Organisation's Venus Orbiter Mission (Shukrayaan):

   • India plans to launch its first mission to Venus no earlier than 2028, following successful missions to the Moon and Mars.
   • The mission aims to study Venus' surface, atmosphere, and solar interactions, including testing aerobraking.
   • Objectives include high-resolution mapping, studying dust and 'airglow' in the atmosphere, examining the subsurface, and analyzing the X-ray spectrum of solar rays near the planet.

These missions promise to unlock new insights into Venus, offering a more comprehensive understanding of this enigmatic planet and its potential impact on our understanding of Earth's climate and habitability.