After the success of the Venus Express probe (2005-2014), the European Space Agency announced that Europe wants to explore the planet again with EnVision. Belgium is once again openly involved.
Venus holds another set of secrets, chief among which is why our closest, similar in size and composition, has been subjected to such extreme climate change. The answer to the question can learn more about the impact of global warming on Earth. Other questions are whether there is still geological activity, whether there is an ocean or even life.
Together with two NASA probes, Envision, which will be launched by the Ariane-6 receiver as soon as 2031, it should try to answer such questions.
The European Space Agency is proud that the new Venus Explorer will carry an “innovative toolkit”. One such instrument is Belgium’s VenSpec-H, an instrument based on the Belgian Institute of Astronautics’ NOMAD (BIRA-IASB) on the successful European-Russian ExoMars orbiter orbiting the planet Riode.
Ann-Carine Vandaele, Séverine Robert and Eddy Neefs of BIRA-IASB at Uccle are part of the System Engineering Working Group. Vandaele also leads VenSpec-H.
The European Space Agency has not yet appointed an industrial contractor.
NASA and Russia Return to Venus: Why and What’s Driving the Race to Space? (+)
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