EnVision Mission to venus

EnVision Mission to venus

Subject : Space & tech

Context : Recently, the European Space Agency (ESA) had announced that it has selected EnVision as its next orbiter that will visit Venus sometime in the 2030s.

Concept :

EnVision Mission

• It is an European Space Agency (ESA) led mission with contributions from NASA.
• The earliest launch opportunity for EnVision is 2031, followed by 2032 and 2033.
• The spacecraft will take about 15 months to reach Venus and will take 16 more months to achieve orbit circularisation.
• The spacecraft will carry a range of instruments to study the planet’s atmosphere and surface, monitor trace gases in the atmosphere and analyse its surface composition.
• A radar provided by NASA will help to image and map the surface.
• It will follow another ESA-led mission to Venus called ‘Venus Express’ (2005-2014) that focussed on atmospheric research and pointed to volcanic hotspots on the planet’s surface.

About Venus

• It is the second-brightest object in the sky after the moon.
• It appears bright because of its thick cloud cover that reflects and scatters light.
• It is called the Earth’s twin because of their similar sizes.
• The planet’s thick atmosphere traps heat and is the reason that it is the hottest planet in the solar system, despite coming after Mercury.
• The surface temperatures on Venus can go up to 471 degrees Celsius, which is hot enough to melt lead.
• It moves forward on its orbit around the Sun but spins backwards around its axis slowly which implies that on Venus the Sun rises in the west and sets in the East.
• One day on Venus is equivalent to 243 Earth days because of its backward spinning, opposite to that of the Earth’s and most other planets.
• Venus also does not have a moon and no rings.