NASA announces Two Robotic Missions to Venus

American space agency, NASA, has announced its two new robotic missions namely Davinci+ and Veritas, to Venus to examine atmosphere and geological features on the planet.

About the mission

Each of the missions have been awarded $500m funding. They will be launched in between 2028 and 2030. Missions would provide a chance to investigate the planet Venus that haven’t been provided in about 30 years. Two missions were selected after a peer-review process. They were chosen on the basis of their potential scientific value and feasibility of their development plans. Both the missions will be launched with aim to understand, how Venus surface is capable of melting lead and how this planet became an inferno-like world.

Davinci+ Mission

Davinci+ is “Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging” mission. It will measure atmosphere of Venus to gain insight into how it formed and evolved. It also seeks to determine whether Venus ever had an ocean.

Veritas Mission

This mission is called as “Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy”. It will map surface of Venus to understand its geologic history. It will also investigate how it developed differently than Earth. It will use a form of radar to investigate surface elevations and will discover if volcanoes and earthquakes are still happening.

Background

Last probe to visit Venus was Magellan orbiter in 1990, while other vessels have made fly-bys since then.

About Venus

Venus is the hottest planet of solar system and second planet from the sun. Its surface temperature is 500 degree Celsius which is hot enough to melt lead.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2021