EnVision
ESA mission, with NASA, to study Venus from its core to its upper atmosphere and learn why it became so unlike Earth; launch is planned for November 2031.
EnVision is a European Space Agency mission to understand why Venus, Earth's closest neighbor, became so different from Earth.[1] It is led by ESA in partnership with NASA, which provides its main radar, VenSAR, and Deep Space Network support.[1]
Why Venus
Venus is the most Earth-like of the Sun's rocky planets in size, composition and distance from the Sun, yet the two evolved very differently.[1] Venus is far too hot today for liquid water on its surface, but it may have had a more Earth-like climate for billions of years before a runaway greenhouse effect set in.[1] EnVision is to investigate how active the planet is, whether it once had oceans, and when and why its greenhouse effect began.[1]
The mission
EnVision is to be the first mission to study Venus from its inner core to its upper atmosphere.[1] Its instruments include the VenSAR radar to map the surface, three spectrometers to map gases above and below the clouds, and a sounding radar to probe about a kilometer below the surface.[1]
The mission is targeting launch on an Ariane 6 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, in November 2031.[1] After a 15-month cruise it is to spend 11 months aerobraking in Venus' atmosphere to reach its science orbit.[1] ESA awarded the contract to build the spacecraft to Thales Alenia Space on 28 January 2025.[1] NASA's own Venus missions are VERITAS and DAVINCI.
Milestones
- November 2031 expectedLaunch on Ariane 6
Dates marked expected are agency estimates.
All missions and what each does nextSources
- [1]European Space Agency, EnVision factsheet — esa.int, retrieved October 26, 2026
Related
- VERITASNASA Venus orbiter to map the planet's surface through its clouds and learn how Venus and Earth came to differ.
- DAVINCINASA mission to Venus with a spacecraft and a probe, to learn whether Venus was once wet and habitable like Earth.
- Venus Orbiter MissionIndia's first mission to Venus, planned for launch in March 2028, to study the planet's atmosphere, surface and interaction with the Sun.