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- Envision will be ESA’s next Venus orbiter, providing a holistic view of the planet from its inner core to upper atmosphere to determine how and why Venus and Earth evolved so differently.
www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/ESA_selects_revolutionary_Venus_mission_Envision
How are Venus’ atmosphere and climate shaped by geological processes? Did Venus have oceans – and could evidence of past water remain in the oldest rocks found on Venus’ surface? How does Venus lose heat, and when and why did the runaway greenhouse effect begin at the planet?
- Esa's Venus Express
Key discoveries Global dynamics of Venus northern...
- Past Missions to Venus
NASA has also selected two new missions to Venus as part of...
- Kourou, French Guiana
The launch facilities as seen from the ISS. Just northwest...
- Esa's Venus Express
Jan 25, 2024 · Envision will study Venus from its inner core to its outer atmosphere, giving important new insight into the planet's history, geological activity and climate. Being adopted means that the study phase is complete and ESA commits to implementing the mission.
Jan 25, 2024 · Set to launch in 2031, Envision will observe Venus from its inner core up to its upper atmosphere, to further reveal the planet's history, activity and climate. This holistic approach to studying Venus is special.
Venus. EnVision will be ESA’s next Venus orbiter, providing a holistic view of the planet from its inner core to upper atmosphere to determine how and why Venus and Earth evolved so differently.
- Spacecraft
- Launch, Planetary Transfer, and Venus Orbit Phases
- Science Data Downlink
- Science Orbit and Data Coverage
The spacecraft will be a roughly rectangular three-axis stabilised satellite, weighing approximately 4.1 tonnes at launch (1.7 tonnes dry mass), measuring approx. 2 m x 2 m x 3 m in stowed configuration, with two deployable solar arrays. It will have a power budget of around 3 kW and a large volume (200 Tbits) of science data to be downlinked to Ea...
The EnVision launch is scheduled for November 2031, with back-up dates in 2032 and 2033. The mission will launch with an Ariane 64 rocket (direct escape). The interplanetary cruise phase will take around 15 months. The Venus orbit insertion will be highly elliptic, and the final science orbit will be reached by means of Aerobraking. The Aerobraking...
The science data downlink capability is ~200 Tbits using Ka-/X-band comms system with a >2.5 m diameter fixed high-gain antenna.
The spacecraft orbit will be polar, with a duration of ~92 minutes and an inclination between 87o and 89o. The orbit will be elliptical, with spacecraft altitudes varying between ~220 and 510 km above the surface. The slow rotation rate of Venus leads to a slow build-up of the observation coverage of the planet during the 6 Venus sideral days (~4 E...
Jan 26, 2024 · EnVision's VenSAR instrument, expected to be contributed by NASA, will map the Venusian surface at a much higher resolution than Magellan, distinguishing surface features more than ten times...
Dec 1, 2022 · EnVision will investigate Venus from its inner core to its atmosphere at an unprecedented scale of resolution, characterising in particular, core and mantle structure, signs of active and past geologic processes and looking for evidence of the past existence of oceans.
