Venera Programme
The Venera programme — the Soviet Union's exploration of Venus, 1961–1985, ending with the two Vega missions. Of its 32 launches, 13 failed to leave Earth or its orbit. It achieved the first flyby of another planet, the first data from another planet's atmosphere, the first landing and the first pictures from another planet's surface, and the first detailed radar images of its surface from orbit.
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- OKB-1 / Lavochkin (USSR)
- Launched
- February 4, 1961
- Status
- Completed
Trajectory
- Distance from the Sun
- 0.726 AU
- Computed from the cached position
- Distance from Earth
- 0.338 AU
- Computed from cached positions
- Distance from Venus
- 0.114 AU
- Computed from cached positions
Mission
The Venera programme was the Soviet Union's exploration of Venus, and it produced some of the hardest-won firsts in planetary science. Between February 1961 and December 1984 it made 32 launches toward Venus, counting the two Vega missions that closed it. Thirteen of them failed to leave Earth or its orbit — those left in orbit were named Sputnik or Kosmos — and several of the early flights that did leave went silent on the way. What the rest achieved is extraordinary, because Venus destroys spacecraft. Venera 1 was the first craft launched toward another planet. Venera 3 was the first to reach another planet's surface, Venera 4 the first to send back data from inside another planet's atmosphere, and Venera 7 the first to land on another planet and transmit from it. Venera 9 took the first pictures from the surface of another planet, Venera 13 the first in colour, and Venera 15 and 16 mapped the north of Venus by radar from orbit. The Vega missions floated the first balloons in another planet's atmosphere and went on to Halley's Comet. The timeline lists every launch, with its date and what happened. Where NSSDCA's own pages give different dates, the entry says so.
- 1961Sputnik 7 (Tyazheliy Sputnik 4)Launch
The first Soviet attempt at Venus: its upper stage failed to ignite, and it re-entered from Earth orbit on 26 February.
The first spacecraft launched toward another planet; it fell silent before passing Venus.
- 1962Sputnik 19Launch
Pointed the wrong way for its burn toward Venus, it tumbled and stayed in Earth orbit, re-entering on 28 August.
- 1962Sputnik 20Launch
A fuel valve failed to open for the burn toward Venus; it re-entered five days later.
- 1962Sputnik 21Launch
Its engine pump failed at the start of the burn toward Venus, leaving it in low Earth orbit.
- 1963Kosmos 21Launch
Tentatively identified as a test of the Venera design, or a Venus attempt; its upper stage is thought to have exploded on ignition.
- 1964Venera 1964ALaunch
A flyby attempt: the rocket's third stage exploded, and it did not reach orbit.
- 1964Venera 1964BLaunch
NSSDCA's chronology lists this as a flyby attempt lost in a launch failure; it records no details.
- 1964Kosmos 27Launch
An attitude-control fault kept it from leaving Earth orbit; it re-entered the next day.
A leaking compartment crippled it; contact was lost on 24 May, and it passed Venus at about 100,000 km on 19 July.
A flyby probe that overheated and fell silent before it reached Venus.
The first craft to reach another planet's surface, silent.
- 1965Kosmos 96Launch
Probably a lander; damaged, perhaps by an explosion, it stayed in Earth orbit and re-entered on 9 December.
- 1965Venera 1965ALaunch
Tentatively identified as a flyby attempt whose rocket failed. NSSDCA's tentative-launch page dates it 26 November.
The first data from inside another planet's atmosphere.
- 1967Kosmos 167Launch
Venera 4's twin, stranded in Earth orbit; it re-entered eight days later.
53 minutes of readings from the night-side atmosphere.
51 minutes of readings, reaching 10–12 km above the surface.
The first landing on another planet, and the first signal from its surface.
- 1970Kosmos 359Launch
Probably a lander like Venera 7; its escape stage failed and it stayed in Earth orbit.
The first landing on the day side of Venus.
Venera 8's twin, stranded in Earth orbit; its capsule came down in 2025.
The first pictures from the surface of another planet.
An orbiter and a lander that photographed pancake-like rocks.
A lander that found signs of lightning, though its camera failed.
Venera 11's twin, with the same failures and findings.
The first colour pictures and sounds from Venus.
A second colour panorama and a basalt sample.
A radar mapper of northern Venus.
The second radar mapper, and the last Venera.
A lander and balloon at Venus, then Halley's Comet.
Vega 1's twin, and the programme's last launch.
Images
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