Background: Venus as Earth’s Evil Twin
Venus, often called Earth’s twin due to its similar size and composition, is anything but similar in climate and surface conditions. With a scorching surface, a dense carbon dioxide atmosphere, and sulfurous clouds, Venus remains one of the solar system’s most intriguing and least understood worlds. After the recent end of the Akatsuki mission’s active communications, space agencies are renewing plans to send a new generation of probes to reveal Venus’s secrets—from atmospheric chemistry to surface geology and climate history.
The five missions shaping the next decade
Several space agencies have outlined or proposed ambitious missions designed to operate in Venus’s harsh environment. Here are five that could launch within the next ten years, depending on funding, technology readiness, and international collaboration.
1) NASA’s DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble Gases, Chemistry, and Imaging)
DAVINCI+ is designed to descend through Venus’s atmosphere to measure its chemical composition and noble gas abundances, while a descent camera captures high-resolution imagery of the planet’s cloud layers and possible geological features seen from above. By studying atmospheric evolution and the history of Venus’s climate, DAVINCI+ aims to clarify why this sister world evolved so differently from Earth. The mission focuses on in-depth atmospheric science and global context for Venus’s history, potentially answering questions about runaway greenhouse effects and atmospheric loss.
2) NASA’s VERITAS (Venus Emission, Radio science, Interior, and Topography)
VERITAS targets Venus’s surface and interior structure with a synthetic aperture radar and dual-frequency radar to map the planet’s topography and geologic features at high resolution. The mission is designed to determine tectonic activity, volcanic history, and the distribution of lava plains. With precise maps of Venus’s surface, scientists hope to better understand why Venus shows little to no evidence of plate tectonics and how its interior heat drives its extreme atmosphere.
3) ESA’s EnVision
EnVision would be Europe’s flagship Venus orbiter, combining radar, optical/near-infrared imaging, and spectroscopy to create a detailed, multi-layered picture of Venus’s surface, geology, and atmosphere. The mission would study the planet’s volcanic history, tectonic features, and atmospheric processes with a long-duration orbital platform. EnVision aims to deliver global context for Venus’s climate evolution and surface processes to compare against Earth’s past and present.
4) Russia’s Venera-D revival and expanded Venus program
Long-running plans in Russia for a renewed Venus exploration package include both orbital and lander components. A revived Venera-D-style mission would seek to combine atmospheric measurements, surface investigations, and perhaps a lander capable of enduring Venus’s extreme conditions. While timelines for Venera-D have shifted in the past, renewed international collaboration could bring a capable Venus mission online in the next decade, expanding the international effort to study Earth’s twin.
5) Emerging proposals from Asia and beyond
Beyond the established programs, multiple space agencies and science teams have floated Venus mission concepts, including potential orbital platforms and atmospheric probes. These proposals emphasize international cooperation and technology sharing, which could accelerate development and reduce costs. If funded, these missions would complement the big observatories and provide diverse data streams—surface, atmosphere, and geology—that together will illuminate Venus’s complex climate history and its divergence from Earth.
<h2 What these missions could reveal
By carrying complementary payloads—radar imaging to map the surface, atmospheric chemistry sensors to profile gas abundances, and high-contrast imaging to study cloud dynamics—future Venus missions could answer enduring questions: What drives Venus’s extreme greenhouse effect? How did its atmosphere evolve? What is the planet’s volcanic and tectonic history? And how does Venus’s climate compare with Earth’s over geological timescales?
Why the next decade matters
The loss of the Akatsuki probe’s active communications underscored the challenges of Venus exploration. Yet the decade ahead brings improved technology, more robust high-temperature instruments, and stronger international collaboration. With multiple mission concepts moving toward formal selection and funding, a robust Venus program could provide the most comprehensive in-situ and remote-sensing data yet, finally helping scientists unlock the mysteries of Earth’s enigmatic neighbor.
