Astronomy:European Venus Explorer

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The European Venus Explorer (EVE), known until 2007 as the Venus Entry Probe (VEP), is a proposed European Space Agency space probe to Venus. In the timeline of the 2005 TRS (technology reference study), the spacecraft was proposed to be launched on a Soyuz-2/Fregat launch vehicle around 2013.[1] However, requests to fund and develop the spacecraft in 2007[2] and 2010[3] were rejected.[4] EVE was a Medium-Class mission proposal in the Cosmic Vision programme.[5] The mission concept consisted of an orbiter and balloon which would circumnavigate the planet over the course of one week, and a lander probe which would operate for approximately one hour on the surface.[5]

Overview

The mission concept calls for two satellites: the Venus Polar Orbiter (VPO), for remote sensing of the atmospheric, and the Venus Elliptical Orbiter (VEO), which deploys the entry probe from a highly elliptical orbit. The entry probe would contain a balloon-aerobot which floats in benign conditions at 55 km altitude in the middle cloud layer, and would drop up to 15 microprobes into the lower atmosphere.[1][5]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 ESA description of the VEP technology reference study
  2. First proposal for launch in 2016-18 timeframe
  3. Second proposal for 2021-23 launch
  4. EVE - European Venus Explorer
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Chassefière, E.; Korablev, O.; Imamura, T.; Baines, K. H.; Wilson, C. F.; Titov, D. V.; Aplin, K. L.; Balint, T. et al. (2009-03-01). "European Venus Explorer (EVE): an in-situ mission to Venus" (in en). Experimental Astronomy 23 (3): 741–760. doi:10.1007/s10686-008-9093-x. ISSN 0922-6435. Bibcode2009ExA....23..741C. 

External links