Venus Express

E92493

Venus Express was a European Space Agency spacecraft that orbited Venus to study its atmosphere, climate, and surface characteristics from 2006 to 2014.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
ESA Venus program 1

Statements (57)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Venus orbiter
interplanetary probe
spacecraft
abbreviation VEX
apoapsisAltitude approximately 66000 km above Venus
arrivalAtVenusDate 2006-04-11
attitudeControl three-axis stabilized
communicationBand S-band
X-band
countryOfOrigin Europe
discoveredPhenomenon detailed structure of Venus polar vortices
double atmospheric vortex at Venus south pole
evidence for recent volcanic activity on Venus
evidence of lightning in Venus atmosphere
dryMass 700 kg
endOfExtendedMission 2014-12-16
endOfNominalMission 2007-09-08
fundingAgency European Space Agency
inclination about 90 degrees
instrument ASPERA-4
MAG
PFS
SPICAV
VIRTIS
VMC
VeRa
launchCountry Kazakhstan NERFINISHED
launchDate 2005-11-09
launchMass 1244 kg
launchSite Baikonur Cosmodrome
surface form: Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31/6
launchVehicle Soyuz-Fregat
surface form: Soyuz-FG/Fregat
manufacturer Airbus
surface form: EADS Astrium
missionEnd 2014-12-16
missionType atmospheric research mission
planetary science mission
remote sensing mission
operator European Space Agency
orbitalPeriod about 24 hours
orbitInsertionDate 2006-04-11
orbitType polar orbit
periapsisAltitude approximately 250 km above Venus
power 1100 W
primaryObjective study Venus atmosphere
study Venus climate
study Venus plasma environment
study Venus surface characteristics by remote sensing
program Venus Express self-linksurface differs
surface form: ESA Venus program
propulsionType bipropellant chemical propulsion
relatedMission Mars Express
Rosetta mission
surface form: Rosetta
scienceOperationsStart 2006-06-04
spaceAgency European Space Agency
surface form: ESA
spacecraftBus Mars Express bus
status mission completed
studiedProcess atmospheric super-rotation of Venus
escape of atmospheric particles from Venus
target Venus

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

European Space Agency mission Venus Express
Venus Express program Venus Express self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: ESA Venus program
Magellan spacecraft relatedMission Venus Express