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Sputnik 7 Attempted Venus Impact
The first Soviet attempt at a Venus probe. The probe was successfully launched into Earth orbit with a SL-6/A-2-e (Molniya 8K78) launcher. One ignition failed because the PT-200 DC transformer had not been designed to work in a vacuum. -
Venera 1 Venus Flyby (Contact Lost)
Venera 1 (Automatic Interplanetary Station) was the first spacecraft to fly by Venus. It consisted of a circular body topped by a dome. Venera 1 had an on-board mid-course correction engine (although this was not labelled in diagrams of the spacecraft). There were two communication sessions after the launch. Communication began to fail and fadeouts were reported. Venera 1 passed within 100,000 km of Venus and entered a heliocentric orbit. -
Mariner 1 Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failure)
This was to be the first Mariner mission. It was intended to perform a Venus flyby. It was destroyed 293 seconds after launch by Range Safety Officer. It had a yaw-lift northeast which the Range Safety Officer had detected. The failure was apparently caused by a combination of two factors.There was improper operation of the Atlas airborne beacon equipment. -
Sputnik 19 Attempted Venus Flyby
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Mariner 2 Venus Flyby
The Mariner 2 spacecraft was the second of a series of spacecraft used for planetary exploration in the flyby to encounter another planet. After launch and termination of the Agena first burn, the Agena-Mariner was in a 118 km altitude Earth parking orbit. Scientific discoveries show that Venua had a hot surface, predominantly carbon dioxide atmosphere, and no detectable magnetic field. -
Sputnik 20 Attempted Venus Flyby
Sputnik 20 was attempted to be a Venus landing mission. It was successfully inserted into geocentric orbit. The escape stage had failed, and Sputnik 20 was stranded in Earth's atmosphere 5 days later. -
Sputnik 21 Attempted Venus Flyby
Sputnik 21 was an attempted Venus flyby mission. The craft was put in Earth's orbit, but the third stage exploded, destroying the spacecraft. -
Cosmos 21 Attemtped Venera Test Flight
This mission has been tentatively identified as a technology test of the Venera series space probes. The spacecraft never left Earth orbit. The orbit decayed on 14 November, three days after launch. In 1963, the name Cosmos was given to the Soviet spacecraft that was still in space. -
Venera1964A Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failed)
The rocket carrying the spacecraft failed to reach Earth orbit. -
Venera 1964B Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failure)
The rocket carrying the spacecraft failed to reach Earth orbit. -
Cosmos 27 Attempted Venus Flyby
This mission was intended as a Venus flyby. It successfully achieved Earth orbit but the spacecraft failed to escape orbit for its flight to Venus, and was designated Cosmos 27. In 1962, the name Cosmos was given to the Soviet spaceraft that remained in orbit. -
Zond 1 Venus Flyby (Contact Lost)
Zond 1 was launched from an earth orbiting platform towards Venus. It had flew by, Venus on July 14, 1964. Communications from the spacecraft failed soon after May 14, 1964. -
Venera 2 Venus Flyby (Contact Lost)
Venera 2 was launched towards planet Venus, carrying a televisions system and scientific instruments. The spacecraft system had ceased to operate before the planet was reached and returned no data. -
Venera 3 Venus Lander (Contact Lost)
Venera 3 was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik (65-092B) towards the planet Venus. The mission was to land on the surface of Venus. The station impacted Venus on March 1, 1966, making Venera 3 the first spacecraft to impact on the surface of another planet. The communications failed before planetary data could be returned. -
Cosmos 96 Attempted Venus Lander?
This mission was intended as a Venus lander, presumably similar in design to the Venera 3 which had launched a week earlier. An explosion damaged the spacecraft which remained in orbit for 16 days and reentered the Earth's atmosphere on 9 December 1965. -
Venera 1965A Attempted Venus Flyby (Launch Failure)
Venera 1965A was an attempted Venus flyby mission, possibly similar to the Venera 2 flyby mission launched two weeks earlier. It is believed the SL-6/A-2-e launcher failed. -
Venera 4 Venus Probe
Venera 4 was launched towards the planet Venus with the announced mission of direct atmospheric studies. It released two thermometers, a barometer, a radio altimeter, and atmospheric density gauge, 11 gas analyzers, and two radio transmitters operating in the DM waveband. -
Mariner 5 Venus Flyby
The Mariner 5 spacecraft was the fifth in a series of spacecraft used for planetary exploration in the flyby mode. The spacecraft was fully attitude stabilized, using the sun and Canopus as references. -
Cosmos 167 Attempted Venus Probe
This mission was intended to be a Venus lander, similar in design to the Venera 4 spacecraft launched 5 days earlier on 12 June. The spacecraft was stranded in Earth's orbit and the orbit decayed and it re-entered Earth's atmosphere 8 days after launch. -
Venera 5 Venus Probe
Venera 5 was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik (69-001C) towards Venus to obtain atmospheric data. It was similar to Venera 4 except it had a much stronger design. The spacecraft carried a medallion bearing the coat of arms of the U.S.S.R. and a bas-relief of V.I. Lenin to the night side of Venus. -
Venera 6 Venus Probe
Venera 6 was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik (69-002C) towards Venus to obtain atmospheric data. It was similar to Venera 4, but a much stronger design. When approaching the Venus atmosphere, a capsule weighing 405 kg was jettisoned from the main spacecraft. This capsule contained scientific instruments. -
Cosmos 359 Attempted Venus Probe
This mission was an attempted Venus flight, perhaps a lander similar to the Venera 7 mission launched 5 days earlier on 17 August. The escape stage failed during firing, putting the payload into a slightly more elliptical geocentric orbit. -
Venera 7 Venus Lander
Venera 7 was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik in an earth parking orbit towards Venus to study the atmosphere and other phenomena of the planet. When entering the atmosphere of Venus, a landing capsule was jettisoned. After aerodynamic braking, a parachute system was deployed. The capsule was the first man-made object to return data after landing on another planet. -
Venera 8 Venus Probe
Venera 8 was a Venus atmospheric probe and lander. Its instrumentation included temperature, pressure, and light sensors as well as an altimeter, gamma-ray spectrometer, gas analyzer, and radio transmitters. It took it 117 days for it to reach Venus. -
Cosmos 482 Attempted Venus Probe
This mission has been identified as an attempted Venus probe which failed to escape low Earth orbit. It was launched 4 days after the Venera 8 atomospheric probe and was similar is design. In 1962, the name Cosmos was given to Soviet spacecraft which remained in Earth orbit. -
Mariner 10 Venus/Mercury Flybys
Mariner 10 was the seventh successful launch in the Mariner series and the first spacecraft to visit Mercury, as well as the first to use the gravitational pull ofVenus to Mercury. The spacecraft flew by Mercury three times in a orbit and returned images and data on the planet. It returned the first ever close up images of Venus and Mercury. -
Venera 9 Venus Orbiter and Lander
On October 20, 1975, this spacecraft was separated from the Orbiter, and landing was made with the sun near zenith at 0513 UT on October 22. A system of circulating fluid used to distribute the heat load, permitted the operation 53 minutes after landing. During descent, heat dissipation and deceleration were accomplished sequentially by protective hemispheric shells, three parachutes, a disk-shaped drag brake, and a compressible, metal, doughnut-shaped, landing cushion. -
Venera 10 Venus Orbiter and Lander
On October 23, 1975, this spacecraft was separated from the Orbiter, and landing was made with the sun near zenith, at 0517 UT, on October 25. A system of circulating fluid was used to distribute the heat load. It permitted operation of the spacecraft for 65 min after landing During descent, heat dissipation and deceleration were accomplished sequentially by protective hemispheric shells, three parachutes, a disk-shaped drag brake, and a compressible, metal, doughnut-shaped, landing cushion. -
Pioneer Venus 1 Venus Orbiter
The Pioneer Venus Orbiter was inserted into an elliptical orbit around Venus on December 4, 1978. It held a periapsis which rises then falls to conserve fuel. In the final phase of it's mission, the fuel ran out and atmospheric entry destroyed the spacecraft. -
Pioneer Venus 2 - Venus Probes
The Pioneer Venus Multiprobe consisted of a bus which carried one large and three small atmospheric probes. The radio signals from all four probes were also used to characterize the winds, turbulence, and propogation in the atmosphere. -
Venera 11 - Venus Flyby Bus and Lander
The Venera 11 descent craft carried instruments designed to study the detailed chemical composition of the atmosphere, the nature of the clouds, and the thermal balance of the atmosphere. It entered the Venus atmosphere, and employed aerodynamic braking followed by parachute braking and ending with atmospheric braking. Information was transmitted to the flight platform for retransmittal to earth. -
Venera 12 - Venus Flyby Bus and Lander
The Venera 12 descent craft carried instruments designed to study the detailed chemical composition of the atmosphere, the nature of the clouds, and the thermal balance of the atmosphere. Results reported included evidence of lightning and thunder, a high ratio, and the discovery of carbon monoxide at low altitudes. -
Venera 13 - Venus Flyby Bus and Lander
Venera 13 and 14 were identical spacecraft built to take advantage of the 1981 Venus launch opportunity and launched 5 days apart. It carried instruments to take chemical and isotopic measurements, monitor the spectrum of scattered sunlight, and record electric discharges during its descent phase through the Venusian atmosphere. -
Venera 14 - Venus Flyby Bus and Lander
Venera 13 and 14 were identical spacecraft built to take advantage of the 1981 Venus launch opportunity and launched 5 days apart. It carried instruments to take chemical and isotopic measurements, monitor the spectrum of scattered sunlight, and record electric discharges during its descent phase through the atmosphere of Venus. -
Venera 15 - Venus Orbiter
Venera 15 was part of a two spacecraft mission along with Venera 16, designed to use 8 cm band side-looking radar mappers to study the surface properties of Venus. They were launched a day apart. -
Venera 16 Venus Orbiter
Venera 16 was part of a two spacecraft mission (along with Venera 15) designed to use 8 cm band side-looking radar mappers to study the surface properties of Venus. No transmissions were possible, so the orbit of Venera 16 was rotated back 20 degrees at this time to map the areas missed. -
Vega 1 Venus Lander and Balloon/Comet Halley Flyby
This spacecraft mission combined a Venus swingby and a Comet Halley flyby. the two spacecraft were retargetted using Venus gravity field assistance to intercept Comet Halley in March 1986. The first spacecraft encounter Comet Halley. -
Vega 2 - Venus Lander and Balloon/Comet Halley Flyby
This spacecraft mission combined a Venus swingby and a Comet Halley flyby. After carrying Venus entry probes to the vicinity of Venus, the two spacecraft were retargetted using Venus gravity field assistance to reach Comet Halley in March 1986. -
Magellan - Venus Orbiter
The Magellan spacecraft was launched on May 4, 1989, arrived at Venus on August 10, 1990 and was inserted into a near-polar elliptical orbit.The objectives of the Magellan mission were to map the surface of Venus with a SAR and to determine the topographic relief of the planet. Radio contact with Magellan was lost on October 12, 1994. -
Galileo - Jupiter Orbiter/Probe (Venus Flyby)
The Galileo mission consists of two spacecraft: an orbiter and an atmospheric probe. Two spacecraft were kicked out of Earth orbit by an IUS rocket, sending them careening through the inner solar system. It followed a trajectory called a VEEGA which allowed Galileo to gain enough velocity to get it out to Jupiter. -
Cassini - Saturn Orbiter (Venus Flyby)
The Cassini Orbiter's mission consists of delivering a probe called Huygens, to Titan, and then remaining in orbit around Saturn for detailed studies of the planet and its rings and satellites. The principal objectives are to determine the structures and subjects of the rings and objects. -
MESSENGER - Mercury Orbiter (Two Venus Flybys)
The Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission is designed to study the characteristics and environment of Mercury from orbit. -
Venus Express - ESA Venus Orbiter
Venus Express is a European Space Agency (ESA) mission to study the atmosphere and plasma environment of Venus from orbit. The main goal of the mission is to conduct a comprehensive study of the atmosphere of Venus and to examine the plasma environment and the interaction between the upper atmosphere and the solar wind. -
Akatsuki - Attempted ISAS Venus Orbiter
Akatsuki ("Dawn"), originally designated Planet-C, also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter, is a Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) mission designed to study the dynamics of the atmosphere of Venus from orbit, particularly the upper atmosphere super-rotation and the three-dimensional motion in the lower part of the atmosphere, using multi-wavelength imaging. It will also measure atmospheric temperatures and look for evidence of volcanic activity and lightning.