2005 mission to explore Venus by the European Space Agency
Venus Express
Venus Express in orbit
Mission type
Venus orbiter
Operator
European Space Agency
COSPAR ID
2005-045A
SATCAT no.
28901
Website
www.esa.int/venus
Mission duration
Planned: 2 years Final: 9 years, 2 months, 9 days
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer
EADS Astrium
Launch mass
1,270 kg (2,800 lb)[1]
Dry mass
700 kg (1,543 lb)[1]
Payload mass
93 kg (205 lb)[1]
Dimensions
1.5 × 1.8 × 1.4 m (4.9 × 5.9 × 4.6 ft)[1]
Power
1,100 watts[1]
Start of mission
Launch date
9 November 2005, 03:33:34 (2005-11-09UTC03:33:34) UTC[2]
Rocket
Soyuz-FG/Fregat
Launch site
Baikonur 31/6
Contractor
Starsem
End of mission
Disposal
Deorbited
Last contact
18 January 2015, 15:01:55 (2015-01-18UTC15:01:56) UTC[3]
Decay date
January / February 2015
Orbital parameters
Reference system
Cytherocentric
Pericytherion altitude
460 km (290 mi)[4]
Apocytherion altitude
63,000 km (39,000 mi)[4]
Inclination
90 degrees[5]
Period
24 hours[5]
Venus orbiter
Orbital insertion
11 April 2006
ESA Solar System insignia for the Venus Express mission
Venus Express (VEX) was the first Venus exploration mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). Launched in November 2005, it arrived at Venus in April 2006 and began continuously sending back science data from its polar orbit around Venus. Equipped with seven scientific instruments, the main objective of the mission was the long term observation of the Venusian atmosphere. The observation over such long periods of time had never been done in previous missions to Venus, and was key to a better understanding of the atmospheric dynamics. ESA concluded the mission in December 2014.[6]
^ abcde"Venus Express Factsheet". European Space Agency. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
^Siddiqi, Asif (2018). Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958–2016(PDF) (second ed.). NASA History Program Office.
^Scuka, Daniel (23 January 2015). "Venus Express: The Last Shout". European Space Agency. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
^ ab"Venturing into the upper atmosphere of Venus". European Space Agency. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
^ ab"Operational Orbit". European Space Agency. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
^Bauer, Markus; Svedhem, Håkan; Williams, Adam; Martin, Patrick (16 December 2014). "Venus Express goes gently into the night". European Space Agency. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
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