New missions to Venus

When this book was written (2023), at least six missions were waiting to map Venus in detail.

NASA's VERITAS mission will take radar images at 30 m resolution. It will make a topographic map at 250 m per pixel. A German instrument on board will also make near-infrared observations. The proposal was submitted in 2015, and its budget was approved in 2020. Serious problems in the workflow delayed the launch by 3 years. The spacecraft will launch in 2031 at the earliest.

NASA's other mission, DAVINCI, will study the atmosphere from around Venus. Its probe will land on a tessera region. During the descent it would take photographs with a camera built by Malin Space Science Systems. This camera is the same as the Mastcam on the Curiosity rover on Mars. The probe would reach the surface at 40 km/h. If it survives the landing, it could work for about 17 more minutes before it overheats. Launch is planned for 2029 and arrival for 2031.

EnVision is an ESA mission led by French and British researchers. Its radar, built by JPL, works at a wavelength of 9 cm and collects images and elevation data. Its SRS radar, which can see below the surface, is made in Italy. German, Belgian and French spectrometers will collect data on the atmosphere and look for signs of volcanic eruptions. The mission lasts 6 Venus days (4 Earth years). According to the plan, it would dip into the atmosphere from time to time. Launch was planned for 2031. After the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out, the date was changed to "the early 2030s".

China is building a spacecraft for Venus called Venus Volcano Imaging and Climate Explorer (VOICE). China wants to launch it early in its 2026–2030 five-year plan.

In 2019, the Indian space agency ISRO planned to launch a spacecraft called Shukrayaan-1 in 2024 or 2031. It worked with Swedish, French, German, Russian and American researchers.

Before it attacked Ukraine, Russia planned to send a spacecraft called Venera-D to Venus in 2029. Its lander would work on the surface for a record 3 hours. NASA would also have taken part in the project. Because of the war, the future of this plan is unknown.

Other mission concepts, without an approved budget

High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC): a plan for a crewed mission, developed by NASA aerospace engineers. Researchers would work first in orbit around Venus and then in airships in the upper atmosphere. There, air pressure and temperature are similar to those on Earth (at about 50 km altitude: 0.5–1 atm, −60 °C to +30 °C). In its first phase, the mission would use robotic balloons. The final goal is a floating cloud settlement (a "cloud city") with a permanent human crew.

Zephyr is a planned NASA project. It would send a wind-powered sailing rover to the surface. The rover would move freely for 50 Earth days, sailing for 15 minutes a day to its next target. However, there is no spacecraft yet to take it to Venus.