Rocket Lab delays launch of its first private Venus probe until 2025

(Rocket Lab https://bit.ly/3WVfEyS)

The private space company Rocket Lab has decided to postpone the launch of the first private research Venus vehicle until 2025.

The mission will be a small descent probe that will search for organic molecules in the clouds of Venus.

The Venus lander project, which has yet to be officially named, was announced by Rocket Lab last year.

This is a descent probe, the front part of which is a spherical-conical body with a diameter of 40 centimeters, and the back part is a hemisphere.

The total mass of the probe will be 20.4 kilograms, of which one kilogram will fall on the payload, which includes an autofluorescent nephelometer.

The project, funded by Rocket Lab, MIT and unknown investors, is estimated at ten million dollars.

THE MISSION
The probe is expected to enter the atmosphere of Venus at an altitude of about 200 kilometers and begin scientific observations 180 seconds after that.

Observations of the composition of the cloud layer at altitudes of 45-60 kilometers and the search for organic molecules in it will take 330 seconds, after which the transmission of the collected data to Earth will begin.

The entire descent to the surface of the planet will take about five minutes, but the probe will not work on Venus itself.

Initially, the launch of the mission was planned for May 2023, but Rocket Lab decided to postpone it to at least January 2025.

The company hasn’t given any specific reason for the transfer, only noted that it wants to focus on launches of the Electron launch vehicle under current contracts.

They plan to launch the Venusian spacecraft using the Electron rocket with the Photon upper stage.

After reaching the initial near-Earth orbit, the spacecraft will begin its flight to Venus.

Sources:

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