There have been 46 space missions to the planet Venus (including gravity-assist flybys). Missions to Venus constitute part of the exploration of Venus. The Soviet Union, followed by the United States, have soft landed probes on the surface. Venera 7 was the first lander overall and first for the Soviet Union, touching down on 15 December 1970. Pioneer Venus 2 contained the first spacecraft to land from the United States, the Day Probe. It soft landed on 9 December 1978. The most recent lander was part of the Vega 2 mission, which soft landed on 15 June 1985.
List
As of 2020, the Soviet Union, United States, European Space Agency and Japan have conducted missions to Venus.
- Mission Type Legend
- Mission to VenusGravity assist, destination elsewhere
| Spacecraft | Launch date | Operator | Mission | Outcome | Remarks | Carrier rocket | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyazhely Sputnik (1VA No.1) | 4 February 1961 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Impactor | Launch failure | Power transformer failure, upper stage failed to ignite, never left LEO | Molniya |
| 2 | Venera 1 (1VA No.2) | 12 February 1961 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Impactor | Spacecraft failure | Communications failure. First flyby past another planet, on 19 May 1961 at less than 100,000 kilometres (62,000 mi); no data returned | Molniya |
| 3 | Mariner 1 (P-37) | 22 July 1962 | NASA United States | Flyby | Launch failure | Failed to orbit Earth; destroyed by range safety following guidance failure | Atlas-LV3 Agena-B |
| 4 | 2MV-1 No.1 | 25 August 1962 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Lander | Launch failure | Premature upper stage cutoff due to ullage motor malfunction; never left LEO | Molniya |
| 5 | Mariner 2 (P-38) | 27 August 1962 | NASA United States | Flyby | Successful | First successful flyby past another planet on 14 December 1962 | Atlas-LV3 Agena-B |
| 6 | 2MV-1 No.2 | 1 September 1962 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Lander | Launch failure | Upper stage fuel valve failed to open, resulting in failure to ignite; never left LEO | Molniya |
| 7 | 2MV-2 No.1 | 12 September 1962 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Flyby | Launch failure | Anomalous third stage cutoff resulted in air bubbles forming in fourth stage fuel; fourth stage shut down less than a second after ignition; failed to leave LEO | Molniya |
| 8 | 3MV-1 No.2 | 19 February 1964 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Flyby | Launch failure | Third stage oxidizer leak caused propellant to freeze in feed lines, which subsequently cracked; failed to orbit | Molniya-M |
| 9 | Kosmos 27 (3MV-1 No.3) | 27 March 1964 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Flyby/Lander | Launch failure | Upper stage attitude control failure, never left LEO | Molniya-M |
| 10 | Zond 1 (3MV-1 No.4) | 2 April 1964 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Flyby/Lander | Spacecraft failure | Electronics shorted out, communications lost before flyby. Flew past Venus on 14 July 1964. | Molniya-M |
| 11 | Venera 2 (3MV-4 No.4) | 12 November 1965 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Flyby | Spacecraft failure | Flew past Venus on 27 February 1966, closest approach at 02:52 UTC. Communications lost after flyby, before any data could be returned. | Molniya-M |
| 12 | Venera 3 (3MV-3 No.1) | 16 November 1965 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Lander | Spacecraft failure | Communications lost as soon as spacecraft entered atmosphere on 1 March 1966, no data returned. First atmospheric entry and impact on another planet. | Molniya-M |
| 13 | Kosmos 96 (3MV-4 No.6) | 23 November 1965 | OKB-1 Soviet Union | Flyby | Launch failure | Third stage combustion chamber exploded, resulting in loss of control, upper stage failed to ignite; Never left LEO | Molniya-M |
| 14 | Venera 4 (4V-1 No.310) | 12 June 1967 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Atmospheric | Successful | Returned atmospheric data during entry on 18 October 1967. First successful atmospheric entry. Never intended to work on surface | Molniya-M |
| 15 | Mariner 5 | 14 June 1967 | NASA United States | Flyby | Successful | Flyby on 19 October 1967, closest approach at 17:34:56 UTC | Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D |
| 16 | Kosmos 167 (4V-1 No.311) | 17 June 1967 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Lander | Launch failure | Upper stage failed to ignite; turbopump cooling malfunction. Never left LEO | Molniya-M |
| 17 | Venera 5 (4V-1 No.330) | 5 January 1969 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Atmospheric | Successful | Entered atmosphere on 16 May 1969, operated for 53 minutes | Molniya-M |
| 18 | Venera 6 (4V-1 No.331) | 10 January 1969 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Atmospheric | Successful | Entered atmosphere on 17 May 1969, operated for 51 minutes | Molniya-M |
| 19 | Venera 7 (4V-1 No.630) | 17 August 1970 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Lander | Partial success | Landed at 05:37:10 UTC on 15 December 1970, rolled upon landing and returned severely limited data. First soft landing on another planet. | Molniya-M |
| 20 | Kosmos 359 (4V-1 No.631) | 22 August 1970 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Lander | Launch failure | Never left LEO | Molniya-M |
| 21 | Venera 8 (4V-1 No.670) | 27 March 1972 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Lander | Successful | Landed at 09:32 UTC on 22 July 1972. First fully successful landing on another planet. | Molniya-M |
| 22 | Kosmos 482 (4V-1 No.671) | 31 March 1972 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Lander | Launch failure | Never left LEO | Molniya-M |
| 23 | Mariner 10 | 3 November 1973 | NASA United States | Flyby | Successful | Flyby on 5 February 1974; closest approach at 17:01 UTC; observed Venus and performed gravity assist to reach Mercury | Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A |
| 24 | Venera 9 (4V-1 No.660) | 8 June 1975 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Orbiter/Lander | Successful | Entered orbit on 20 October 1975; lander landed at 05:13 UTC on 22 October. First orbiter of Venus and first images from the surface of another planet. | Proton-K/D |
| 25 | Venera 10 (4V-1 No.661) | 14 June 1975 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Orbiter/Lander | Successful | Entered orbit on 23 October 1975; lander landed at 05:17 UTC on 25 October | Proton-K/D |
| 26 | Venera 11 (4V-1 No.360) | 9 September 1978 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Flyby/Lander | Mostly successful | Fyby on 25 December; Lander landed at 03:24 UTC the same day. Multiple instrument failures on lander | Proton-K/D-1 |
| 27 | Venera 12 (4V-1 No.361) | 14 September 1978 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Flyby/Lander | Mostly successful | Lander landed at 03:20 UTC on 21 December 1978. Both cameras on lander failed | Proton-K/D-1 |
| 28 | Pioneer Venus 1 (PV Orbiter) | 20 May 1978 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Successful | Entered orbit on 4 December 1978, decayed on 22 October 1992 | Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR |
| 29 | Pioneer Venus 2 (PV Multiprobe) | 8 August 1978 | NASA United States | Atmospheric | Successful | Entered the atmosphere on 9 December 1978; consisted of five spacecraft, two of which continued transmitting after reaching the surface | Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR |
| 30 | Venera 13 (4V-1M No.760) | 30 October 1981 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Flyby/Lander | Successful | Lander landed at 03:20 UTC on 1 March 1982. First recording of sounds from another planet. | Proton-K/D-1 |
| 31 | Venera 14 (4V-1M No.761) | 4 November 1981 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Flyby/Lander | Successful | Lander landed on 5 March 1982. | Proton-K/D-1 |
| 32 | Venera 15 (4V-2 No.860) | 2 June 1983 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Orbiter | Successful | Entered orbit 10 October 1983, operated until July 1984 | Proton-K/D-1 |
| 33 | Venera 16 (4V-2 No.861) | 7 June 1983 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Orbiter | Successful | Entered orbit 11 October 1983, operated until July 1984 | Proton-K/D-1 |
| 34 | Vega 1 (5VK No.901) | 15 December 1984 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Flyby/Atmospheric/Lander | Mostly successful | Landed 11 June 1985. Atmospheric probe deployed during entry operated for two days. Main bus continued to explore comet 1P/Halley | Proton-K/D-1 |
| 35 | Vega 2 (5VK No.902) | 21 December 1984 | Lavochkin Soviet Union | Flyby/Atmospheric/Lander | Successful | Landed 15 June 1985. Atmospheric probe deployed during entry operated for two days. Main bus continued to explore comet 1P/Halley | Proton-K/D-1 |
| 36 | Magellan | 4 May 1989 | NASA United States | Orbiter | Successful | Entered orbit 10 October 1990, deorbited 13 October 1994 | Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-30 / IUS |
| - | Galileo | 18 October 1989 | NASA United States | Gravity assist at Venus | Successful | Flyby on 10 February 1990 en route to Jupiter; observed Venus during closest pass. | Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-34 / IUS |
| - | Cassini | 15 October 1997 | NASA United States | Gravity assist | Successful | Flybys on 26 April 1998 and 24 June 1999 en route to Saturn; observed Venus during closest pass. | Titan IV(401)B |
| - | MESSENGER | 3 August 2004 | NASA United States | Gravity assist | Successful | Flybys on 24 October 2006 and 5 June 2007 en route to Mercury; observed Venus during closest pass. | Delta II 7925H |
| 37 | Venus Express | 9 November 2005 | ESA | Orbiter | Successful | Entered orbit 11 April 2006. Full communications lost on 28 November 2014 | Soyuz-FG/Fregat |
| 38 | Akatsuki | 20 May 2010 | JAXA Japan | Orbiter | Mostly successful | Flew past Venus on 6 December 2010 after failing to enter orbit. Insertion was successfully reattempted on 7 December 2015. Last contact April 2024 | H-IIA 202 |
| 39 | IKAROS | 20 May 2010 | JAXA Japan | Flyby | Successful | Experimental solar sail released from the Akatsuki spacecraft. Flew past Venus on 8 December 2010 but did not make observations. | H-IIA 202 |
| 40 | Shin'en | 20 May 2010 | UNISEC Japan | Flyby | Spacecraft failure | Communications never established after launch. Flew past Venus in December 2010 | H-IIA 202 |
| - | Parker Solar Probe | 12 August 2018 | NASA United States | Gravity assist | Operational | Flybys on 10 October 2018, 26 December 2019, 11 July 2020, 20 February 2021, 16 October 2021, 21 August 2023, and 6 November 2024 to lower perihelion for solar observation. | Delta IV Heavy/Star 48BV |
| - | BepiColombo | 20 October 2018 | ESA | Gravity assist | Successful | Flybys on 15 October 2020 and 11 August 2021 en route to Mercury; observed Venus during closest pass. | Ariane 5 ECA |
| - | Solar Orbiter | 10 February 2020 | ESA | Gravity assist | Operational | Flybys on 27 Dec 2020, 8 Aug 2021, 3 Sep 2022, 18 Feb 2025, 24 Dec 2026, 17 Mar 2028, 10 Jun 2029, and 2 Sep 2030 to adjust orbital inclination. | Atlas V 411 |
| - | Juice | 31 August 2025 | ESA | Gravity assist | Successful | Flyby en route to Jupiter. | Ariane 5 ECA+ |
Statistics
Launches by decade
| Decade |
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