The final descent of a pioneer into the Venusian atmosphere

Space · Published 8 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: After eight years of uncovering the mysteries of our nearest planetary neighbour, ESA's Venus Express prepared for a dramatic end. From mapping surface topography through thick clouds to measuring unprecedented electric fields, the mission's journey concluded with a deliberate plunge into the planet's hostile environment.

Launched on 9 November 2005, the Venus Express mission arrived at Venus in April 2006. For over eight years, the spacecraft operated in an elliptical 24-hour orbit, swinging from a high altitude of 66,000 km over the south pole to as low as 250 km above the north pole. This orbit allowed scientists to study the planet's atmosphere, ionosphere, and surface using seven specialized instruments. The mission's orbit was specifically designed to provide the team with incredible global views of the planet.

The mission provided groundbreaking insights into the Venusian environment. Researchers used the spacecraft to link weather patterns in the thick cloud layers directly to the planet's underlying topography. Furthermore, the mission recorded a surprisingly strong electric field—the first ever measured on any planet—which may explain the lack of water on Venus by depleting oxygen from the upper atmosphere. The spacecraft even participated in tracking solar eruptions alongside NASA's Voyager-2. The spacecraft's instruments also allowed for the first characterization of wind and upper cloud patterns on the planet's night side. This comprehensive study spanned the entire atmosphere, from the surface right up to the ionosphere.

The mission's conclusion was marked by technical challenges. In late 2014, the spacecraft exhausted its remaining propellant, and contact was lost on 28 November 2014. While the operations team at ESOC could still monitor the X-band carrier signal from the high-gain antenna, the mission's scientific era ended. Before its final stages, an aerobraking campaign in the summer of 2014 had pushed the spacecraft to a minimum altitude of 129.2 km, bringing it closer to the atmosphere than ever before. Following the loss of contact, engineers at ESA and NASA used deep-space tracking stations to attempt to re-establish a connection. Despite the mission's end, the X-band carrier wave could still be detected, even though it was no longer pointed toward Earth.

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