Missions to Venus

Back in on April 2006 the Venus Express probe successfully orbited around Venus when its main engine was successfully ignited to place it in a polar orbit around the planet. It was designed and built by the European Space Agency and launched by the Russian Federal Space Agency on November 9, 2005. The probe is conducting a detailed study of the Venusian atmosphere and clouds, and will also map the planet's plasma environment and surface characteristics, particularly temperatures. Its mission is intended to last a nominal 500 Earth days, or around two Venusian years. One of the first results emerging from Venus Express is the discovery that a huge double atmospheric vortex exists at the south pole of the planet.