The European Space Agency is preparing for a new mission to Venus – Science – Life

The European Space Agency (European Space Agency) on Thursday gave its approval to launch a new mission to Venus from 2030, Imagine, from which you want to get an “overall” view of the planet, from its core to its upper atmosphere.

(You may be interested: NASA investigates a massive, never-before-seen explosion in the Sun)

This new orbit will seek to determine how and why Venus and the Earth It has evolved quite differently despite being about the same size and composition, to the point that Venus, rather than being habitable, has a toxic atmosphere covered in thick clouds rich in sulfuric acid.

The ESA Science Program Committee chose this mission today and is scheduled to launch in 2031, with two new possibilities in 2032 and 2033.

Unearthing that planet’s history can be used to calculate “what would happen to Earth if it suffered a catastrophic impact of global warming,” and its analysis could reveal other key questions, such as whether it was still geologically active or whether it could host an ocean and even support life. .

(Also: Don’t miss the conjunction of the Moon and Venus on Saturday, June 12th)

In its statement, the agency specified that the orbiter would be equipped with a set of European instruments, including a probe to detect Earth layers and spectrometers to study the atmosphere and surface.

The spectrometers, according to the observation, will monitor traces of gases in the atmosphere and analyze the composition of the surface, looking for any changes that may be associated with signs of active volcanoes.

In addition, a radar provided by NASA will photograph and map the surface. His radiological science experiment will examine the internal structure of this planet and its gravitational field, as well as investigate the structure and composition of the atmosphere, facilitating the desired global view.

The successor to Venus Express

The who – which He noted that EnVision is a continuation of its successful Venus Express mission (2005-2014), which focused on atmospheric research, but also made “amazing” discoveries that suggested the possible existence of volcanic hotspots on its surface.

It is expected that their joint work will be carried out with the upcoming missions Da Vinci + s Truth, honestyNASA presents “the most comprehensive study ever conducted on Venus”.

(See also: NASA announces two new missions to explore Venus)

The European Agency has advanced that its orbiter will “significantly improve” radar images of the surface obtained by NASA’s Magellan probe in the 1990s.

“Vision advances Europa’s role in the scientific exploration of the solar system. Our growing expedition fleet will provide us, and for future generations, the best ideas of how our planetary ocean works,” said Gunter Hasinger, ESA’s Director of Science.

After approval by the committee, the next stage is the detailed “identification stage”, where the design of the satellite and instrument is finalized. A European industrial contractor will then be selected to build and test EnVision before it is launched on an Ariane 6 rocket.

The European Space Agency estimates that it will take about 15 months to reach the planet and another 16 months to achieve the “circular rotation” of the orbit by atmospheric braking. Its orbit of 92 minutes will be semi-polar with an altitude of between 220 and 540 kilometers.

(Continued with: The Organism That Survived 24,000 Years Frozen in Siberia)

EFE

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