The Next Decade of Venus Exploration: Five Missions to Unlock Its Secrets
Venus, often called Earth's “evil twin,” has just lost its last active spacecraft, but humanity's fascination with this scorching planet is far from over. Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft, also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter, has been officially declared dead after years of dedicated service. Launched in 2010, Akatsuki endured an early engine failure that forced it to drift around the Sun for five years before finally being inserted into Venus’ orbit in 2015. Despite these setbacks, it exceeded its planned lifespan of 4.5 years, collecting eight years of invaluable atmospheric data before contact was lost in April 2024. Over its lifetime, the mission contributed to 178 scientific papers, providing the closest connection Earth had to Venus and marking Japan’s first successful planetary exploration.
Although Akatsuki is gone, a wave of new missions is being planned to study Venus, though many face uncertain futures due to budget challenges at NASA. The U.S. administration proposed a 24% reduction in NASA’s 2026 budget, which could jeopardize some planned missions. Still, several ambitious projects are moving forward, promising to unveil the planet’s secrets.
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NASA’s DAVINCI mission, scheduled for the early 2030s, is designed as both an orbiter and a descent probe. It will study Venus’ atmosphere and surface, particularly focusing on Alpha Regio, one of the planet’s oldest terrains. The mission aims to chart the chemical composition of the lower atmosphere and search for signs of any ancient water cycle. Meanwhile, NASA’s VERITAS mission, expected to launch no earlier than 2031, will orbit Venus to map its surface and explore how Earth and Venus, though similar in size, evolved so differently. Using techniques like aerobraking, VERITAS will eventually orbit the planet every 1.6 hours, gathering high-resolution data on surface topography, tectonics, and geological activity.
Europe is contributing with the ESA-led EnVision mission, also targeting a 2031 launch. Equipped with synthetic aperture radar, optical spectrometers, and a subsurface radar sounder, EnVision will study Venus’ atmosphere, surface, and interior for four years. Its goal is to explore the origins of habitability in our solar system and understand how Venus transitioned from potentially Earth-like conditions to its current hellish climate.
Private spaceflight is entering the race as well. Rocket Lab, in partnership with MIT, is developing the Venus Life Finder mission, slated for launch in 2026. This small spacecraft will study organic compounds in the cloud layers, probing altitudes where conditions resemble Earth’s. The mission aims to detect molecules that could hint at the building blocks of life in a region that has long intrigued scientists.
Finally, India is planning its first Venus mission, Shukrayaan, no earlier than 2028. Building on the success of Chandrayaan and the Mars Orbiter Mission, Shukrayaan will map Venus’ surface, analyze its thick carbon dioxide atmosphere, and study solar wind interactions. Aerobraking will also be tested, and its 16 payloads aim to examine the surface, subsurface, and atmosphere in unprecedented detail.
Though the death of Akatsuki marks the end of an era, the next decade promises an exciting revival in Venus exploration. With NASA, ESA, private companies, and India all planning missions, our closest planetary neighbor may soon reveal secrets hidden beneath its scorching clouds, offering insights not just into Venus, but into the history and evolution of our own Earth.
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