Business · Ars Technica
Things are finally looking up for NASA's first missions to Venus in a generation
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Most planetary scientists will tell you the heyday of Venus exploration was more than a generation ago.
Key facts
- A flyby with Venus in early 2032 will set up DAVINCI to release its atmospheric entry probe for descent to the planet’s surface on October 3, 2032
- Japan and Europe launched orbiters to Venus in 2005 and 2010 with instruments tuned to study the planet’s atmosphere
- Congress restored most of the funding for fiscal year 2026 and is expected to do the same in the 2027 budget
- Thanks to encouragement in early ’26 from our leaders at NASA Headquarters and the Planetary Science Division,” said Garvin, who leads the DAVINCI science team
Summary
Two NASA missions are on track to launch to Venus in the early 2030s. The European Space Agency is building another orbiter, Envision, for launch to Venus in 2032. That was the update last week at a meeting of the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (VEXAG), a confab of scientists whose research interests focus on the scorching world sunward from Earth. None of this was guaranteed.