Nasa plans two new missions to Venus, its first in decades
- The aim is learn how the planet became an inferno-like hellscape while our own Earth thrived
- The missions have been awarded about US$500 million under Nasa’s Discovery Programme and are expected to launch at the end of the decade
Nasa announced two new missions to Venus on Wednesday that will launch at the end of the decade and are aimed at learning how the planet became a hellscape while our own Earth thrived.
“These two sister missions both aim to understand how Venus became an inferno-like world, capable of melting lead at the surface,” said Bill Nelson, the agency’s newly confirmed administrator.
“They will offer the entire science community the chance to investigate a planet we haven’t been to in more than 30 years.”
The missions have been awarded about US$500 million under Nasa’s Discovery Programme, and each is expected to launch in the 2028-2030 time frame.
Both missions were picked from a competitive, peer-reviewed process based on their scientific value and feasibility of their plans.