Russia’s Venera-D Mission: Exploring Venus by 2036

Why in news ?

• Under its new national space program, Russia plans to launch the Venera-D mission to Venus between 2034 and 2036.
• The mission will include a lander, an orbital spacecraft (orbiter), and a balloon probe.
• This mission marks Russia’s return to interplanetary exploration after decades and aims to revive the Soviet-era Venera legacy.

Mission Objective

• Venera-D (“D” = Dolgozhivushaya, meaning “long-lived”) is designed to provide a comprehensive scientific study of Venus’ atmosphere, surface, and climate systems.
• It is Russia’s most ambitious effort to explore Venus since the Soviet-era Venera and Vega programs.

Mission Components

• Lander
  • Will land on Venus’ harsh surface to study surface structure, temperature, and pressure.
  • May analyze soil samples.
• Orbital Spacecraft (Orbiter)
  • Will capture high-resolution images.
  • Will study the atmosphere and relay data from the lander and balloon probe.
• Balloon Probe
  • Will float in Venus’ upper atmosphere to measure temperature, wind, and chemical composition.

Timeline and Development

• Preliminary design phase: January 2026 (duration: 2 years)
• Key contractor: Lavochkin Association
• Launch window: 2034–2036
• Launch vehicle: Russian launcher
• Due to Venus’ extreme environmental conditions, careful design and planning are critical.

Scientific Goals

• Study atmospheric dynamics and cloud chemistry.
• Investigate potential volcanic activity.
• Analyze climate evolution and compare it with Earth.
• Search for signs of past habitability.

Global Context and Competition

• Recent findings of potential biosignature gas (phosphine) have renewed scientific interest in Venus.
• The Venera-D mission will join this new wave of Venus exploration:
  • NASA: VERITAS and DAVINCI+ missions
  • ESA: EnVision mission (planned for the early 2030s)
• The mission is expected to revive global interest in Venus.