Editing Missions to Venus

== Timeline of Venus exploration ==
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Objectives in order of increasing difficulty: fly-by, impactor, orbiter, lander (soft), rover, sample return

sources:<br>
[[Venus#Exploration]]<br>
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/spacecraft_planetary_venus.html<br>
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Development unofficial names are listed in italics.
{| class="wikitable"
! Mission (1960–1969)
! Launch
! Arrival
! Termination
! Objective
! Result
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Tyazhely Sputnik]] || 4 February 1961 ||  || 26 February 1961 || Flyby || Launch failure
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 1]] || 12 February 1961 ||  || 26 February 1961 || Flyby || Failure (contact lost before the 19 May 1962 100,000&nbsp;km flyby)
|-
| [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Mariner 1]] || 22 July 1962 ||  || 22 July 1962 || Flyby || Launch failure
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] ''[[Venera 2MV-1 No.1]]'' || 25 August 1962 ||  || 28 August 1962 || Lander || Launch failure
|-
| [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Mariner 2]] || 27 August 1962 || 14 December 1962 || 3 January 1963 || Flyby || Success (measurements suggested cool clouds and extremely hot surface)
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] ''[[Venera 2MV-1 No.2]]'' || 1 September 1962 ||  || 6 September 1962 || Lander || Launch failure
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] ''[[Venera 2MV-2 No.1]]'' || 12 September 1962 ||  || 14 September 1962 || Flyby || Launch failure
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Kosmos 21]] || 11 November 1962 ||  || 14 November 1962 || Flyby? || Launch failure (unknown mission: technology test or fly-by)
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] ''[[Venera 3MV-1 No.2]]'' || 19 February 1964 ||  || || Flyby || Launch failure
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Kosmos 27]] || 27 March 1964 ||  || || Landing || Launch failure
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Zond 1]] || 2 April 1964 || 14 July 1964 || 14 May 1964 || Lander || Failure (contact lost before a 100,000&nbsp;km flyby)
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 2]] || 12 November 1965 || 27 February 1966 ||  || Lander || Failure (contact lost before a 24,000&nbsp;km flyby)
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 3]] || 16 November 1965 || 1 March 1966 ||  || Lander || Failure (contact lost before the landing)
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Kosmos 96]] || 23 November 1965 ||  ||  || Flyby || Failure (did not leave Earth orbit)
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 4]] || 12 June 1967 || 18 October 1967 || 18 October 1967 || Lander || Success (first chemical analysis of the Venusian atmosphere, measurements proved that Venus was extremely hot and that the atmosphere was far denser than expected)
|-
| [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Mariner 5]] || 14 June 1967 || 19 October 1967 || November 1967 || Flyby || Success (radio occultation atmospheric study, 3,990&nbsp;km flyby)
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Kosmos 167]] || 17 June 1967 ||  || || Lander || Failure (failed in Earth orbit)
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 5]] || 5 January 1969 || 16 May 1969 || 16 May 1969 || Atmospheric probe || Success (with knowledge about atmosphere gathered by Venera 4 its descent was optimised to analyze the atmosphere further deeper)
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 6]] || 10 January 1969 || 17 May 1969 || 17 May 1969 || Atmospheric probe || Success
|-
! Mission (1970–1979)
! Launch
! Arrival
! Termination
! Objective
! Result
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 7]] || 17 August 1970 || 15 December 1970 || 15 December 1970 || Lander || Success (first man-made spacecraft to successfully land on another planet and to transmit data from there back to Earth)
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Kosmos 359]] || 22 August 1970 ||  ||  || Lander || Failure
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 8]] || 27 March 1972 || 22 July 1972 || 22 July 1972 || Lander || Success
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Kosmos 482]] || 31 March 1972 ||  ||  || Lander || Failure
|-
| [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Mariner 10]] || 3 November 1973 || 5 February 1974 || 24 March 1975 || Flyby || Success (near-ultraviolet images of atmosphere shown unprecedented detail, 5,768&nbsp;km flyby then continued towards Mercury)
|-
|rowspan="2" | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 9]]
|rowspan="2"| 8 June 1975
| 20 October 1975 || ~December 25, 1975? || Orbiter || Success (explored cloud layers and atmospheric parameters)
|-
| 22 October 1975 || 22 October 1975 || Lander || Success (first images from the surface of another planet)
|-
|rowspan="2" | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 10]]
|rowspan="2"| 14 June 1975
| 23 October 1975 ||  || Orbiter || Success
|-
| 25 October 1975 || 25 October 1975 || Lander || Success
|-
| [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Pioneer Venus project|Pioneer Venus Orbiter]] || 20 March 1978 || 4 December 1978 || August 1992 || Orbiter || Success (over thirteen years studying the atmosphere and mapping the surface with [[S-band]] radar, conducted joint mapping with the 1990 Magellan probe)
|-
|rowspan="5" | [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Pioneer Venus project|Pioneer Venus Multiprobe]]
|rowspan="5" | 8 August 1978
|rowspan="5" | 9 December 1978
|rowspan="5" | 9 December 1978
| Bus || Success
|-
| Large probe || Success
|-
| North probe || Success
|-
| Night probe || Success
|-
| Day probe || Success (continued to send radio signals back after impact, for over an hour)
|-
|rowspan="2" | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 11]]
|rowspan="2"| 9 September 1978
| 25 December 1978 || February 1980 || Flyby || Success (as did Venera 12 found evidence of lightnings)
|-
| 25 December 1978 || 25 December 1978 || Lander || Partial success (failed to deploy some instruments)
|-
|rowspan="2" | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 12]]
|rowspan="2"| 14 September 1978
| 19 December 1978 || April 1980 || Flyby || Success
|-
| 21 December 1978 || 21 December 1978 || Lander || Partial success (failed to deploy some instruments)
|-
! Mission (1980–1989)
! Launch
! Arrival
! Termination
! Objective
! Result
|-
|rowspan="2" | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 13]]
|rowspan="2"| 30 October 1981
| 1 March 1982 ||  || Flyby || Success
|-
| 1 March 1982 || 1 March 1982 || Lander || Success (first colour images from surface and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry soil characterisation)
|-
|rowspan="2" | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 14]]
|rowspan="2"| 4 November 1981
|  ||  || Flyby || Success
|-
| 5 March 1982 || 5 March 1982 || Lander || Success
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 15]] || 2 June 1983 || 10 October 1983 || ~July 1984 || Orbiter || Success ([[synthetic aperture radar]] on 15 and 16 probes allowed to map 25% of surface)
|-
| [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Venera 16]] || 7 June 1983 || 11 October 1983 || ~July 1984 || Orbiter || Success
|-
|rowspan="3" | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Vega 1]]
|rowspan="3"| 15 December 1984
|rowspan="3"| 11 June 1985
| 30 January 1987 || Flyby || Success (intercepted the Halley comet next year)
|-
| 11 June 1985 || Lander || Failed (surface experiments were inadvertently activated at 20&nbsp;km from the surface)
|-
| 13 June 1985 || Balloon || Success (first balloon in another planet, flew al least 11,600&nbsp;km)
|-
|rowspan="3" | [[File:Flag of the Soviet Union.svg|24px|link=Soviet space program|Soviet space programme]] [[Vega 2]]
|rowspan="3"| 20 December 1984
|rowspan="3"| 15 June 1985
| 24 March 1987 || Flyby || Success (intercepted the Halley comet next year)
|-
| 15 June 1985 || Lander || Success
|-
| 17 June 1985 || Balloon || Success (flew al least&nbsp;11,100&nbsp;km)
|-
| [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Magellan (spacecraft)|Magellan]] || 4 May 1989 || 10 August 1990 || 12 October 1994 || Orbiter || Success (provided high-resolution gravimetric data for 94% of the planet, Synthetic Aperture Radar generated a high resolution map of 98% of the surface)
|-
| [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Galileo (spacecraft)|Galileo]] || 18 October 1989 || 10 February 1990 || 21 September 2003 || Flyby || Success (took some data on its route to Jupiter, 16,106&nbsp;km maximum approach)
|-
! Mission (2000–2009)
! Launch
! Arrival
! Termination
! Objective
! Result
|-
| [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[Cassini–Huygens|Cassini]] || 1 June 2004 || 26 April 1998 and 24 June 1999 || ongoing || 2 Flybys || Success (radio frequency observations on its route to Saturn shown no signs of lightnings in Venus)
|-
| [[File:NASA logo.svg|24px|link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration|National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA]] [[MESSENGER]] || 31 August 2004 || 24 October 2006 and 5 June 2007 || ongoing || 2 Flybys || Success (very close second flyby at 338&nbsp;km in which visible, near-infrared, ultraviolet and X-ray spectrometry of the upper atmosphere was made simultaneously with the Venus Express probe, no observations in first flyby)
|-
| [[File:Not the esa logo 2.png|20px|link=European Space Agency|European Space Agency]] [[Venus Express]] || 9 November 2005 || 11 April 2006 || ongoing || Orbiter || Success (detailed long term observation of the Venusian atmosphere)
|-
! Mission (2010–present)
! Launch
! Arrival
! Termination
! Objective
! Result
|-
| [[File:Jaxa logo.svg|24px|link=Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency|Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency]] [[Akatsuki (spacecraft)|Akatsuki]] || 20 May 2010 ||  || ongoing || Orbiter || Failure (orbital insertion maneuver failed in 2010, will be tried again in 2016)
|-
|}

===Future missions===
{| class="wikitable"
! Name
! Estimated launch
! Elements
! Notes
|-
| [[File:Not the esa logo 2.png|20px|link=European Space Agency|European Space Agency]] [[File:Jaxa logo.svg|24px|link=Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency|Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency]] [[BepiColombo]] || July 2014 || Flyby || Planned Mercury orbiter.
|-
| [[File:Indian Space Research Organisation Logo.svg|24px|link=Indian Space Research Organisation|Indian Space Research Organisation]] [[Indian Space Research Organisation#Venus orbiter mission|Venus Orbiter Mission]]<ref>http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-17/hyderabad/31070866_1_venus-mission-chandrayaan-1-isro</ref> || May 20, 2015 || Orbiter || Planned Venus Orbiter. 
|-
| rowspan="4" | [[File:Roscosmos logo ru.svg|24px|link=Russian Federal Space Agency|Russian Federal Space Agency]] [[Venera-D]]<ref name="RSW">{{cite web|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/venera_d.html|title=Venera-D mission|last=Zak|first=Anatoly|publisher=RussianSpaecWeb|accessdate=11 January 2011}}</ref> 
| rowspan="4" | 2016
| Orbiter || To sense composition of the planet's atmosphere and its circulation patterns
|-
| Balloons || Two balloons to sense acoustic and electrical activities of atmosphere
|-
| Microprobes || Up to four atmospheric sensing probes launched from the balloons
|-
| Lander || Designed for one-hour lifespan after touchdown in [[Tessera (Venusian geography)|Tessera]]
|-
|}