Venera-D to Venus from Roscosmos and NASA. David Grinspoon @DrFunkySpoon, Planetary Science Institute

Dec 01, 2021, 01:23 AM

Photo:  Venera-D (Венера-Д)
. . . is a proposed Russian space mission to Venus that would include an orbiter and a lander to be launched in 2029. The orbiter's prime objective is to perform observations with the use of a radar. The lander, based on the Venera design, would be capable of operating for a long duration (≈3 h) on the planet's surface. The "D" in Venera-D stands for dolgozhivushaya, "long lasting" in Russian.
Here:  Artist's concept of the Venera-D spacecraft approaching clouds-veiled Venus. This shown configuration was only one of several designs envisioned at the conclusion of the project's definition phase in September 2009. A ball-shaped capsule containing the main lander can be seen at the top, with four mini-capsules carrying atmospheric balloons attached just below it. Individual entry capsules for each balloon would allow deployment of scientific sensors over much wider regions of the planet then would be possible if they were all released from a single descent vehicle.*


Venera-D to Venus from Roscosmos and NASA. David Grinspoon @DrFunkySpoon, Planetary Science Institute


David Grinspoon , astrobiologist; Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute; was the former inaugural Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology. 
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*Venera-D will be the first Venus probe launched by the Russian Federation (the earlier Venera probes were launched by the former Soviet Union). Venera-D will serve as the flagship for a new generation of Russian-built Venus probes, culminating with a lander capable of withstanding the harsh Venusian environment for more than the 11⁄2 hours logged by the Soviet probes. The surface of Venus experiences average temperatures of 462° Celsius (864 Fahrenheit), crushing 90 bar (89 atm; 1,300 psi) pressures, and corroding clouds of carbon dioxide laced with sulfuric acid. Venera-D will be launched on an Angara A5 rocket.