# Venus Express

> ESA spacecraft which orbited Venus

**Wikidata**: [Q210889](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q210889)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Express)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/venus-express

## Summary
Venus Express was an orbiter spacecraft operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) designed to study Venus. Manufactured by Astrium, the spacecraft launched in November 2005 and successfully entered orbit around Venus in April 2006. The mission concluded in 2015 following the loss of signal and subsequent atmospheric entry due to orbital decay.

## Key Facts
- **Entity Type:** Orbiter (spacecraft)
- **Operator:** European Space Agency (ESA)
- **Manufacturer:** Astrium
- **Launch Date:** November 9, 2005
- **Launch Site:** Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31
- **Launch Vehicle:** Soyuz-FG (with Fregat space tug)
- **Venus Orbit Insertion:** April 11, 2006
- **Mission End:** Loss of signal on January 18, 2015; atmospheric entry in February 2015
- **Launch Mass:** 1,270 kg
- **Dry Mass:** 700 kg
- **Payload Mass:** 93 kg
- **Dimensions:** 1.5 m (length) × 1.8 m (width) × 1.4 m (height)
- **Orbital Period:** 24 hours
- **Orbital Inclination:** 90 degrees

## FAQs
### Q: When was Venus Express launched and how long did it operate?
A: Venus Express launched on November 9, 2005, and began orbital operations around Venus on April 11, 2006. The mission effectively ended in January 2015, lasting over eight years in orbit.

### Q: What caused the end of the Venus Express mission?
A: The mission ended due to orbital decay. The spacecraft experienced a loss of signal on January 18, 2015, and subsequently underwent atmospheric entry into Venus around February 2015.

### Q: What were the physical characteristics of the spacecraft?
A: The spacecraft had a launch mass of 1,270 kg and a dry mass of 700 kg. It measured 1.5 meters in length, 1.8 meters in width, and 1.4 meters in height, with a nominal power output of 1,100 watts.

## Why It Matters
Venus Express represents a significant chapter in planetary exploration as the first mission to Venus by the European Space Agency. By utilizing a polar orbit with a 24-hour period, the spacecraft provided a unique observational vantage point of the planet's atmosphere and surface conditions.

The mission demonstrated the capability to deliver a complex scientific payload to Earth's "sister planet" using the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle and Fregat space tug. Its longevity—operating far beyond its initial timeline until fuel depletion and orbital decay—provided valuable engineering data on spacecraft endurance in the harsh thermal and radiation environment near Venus. The mission's progression from launch to final atmospheric entry serves as a case study in interplanetary orbiter design and lifecycle management by ESA.

## Notable For
- **First ESA Venus Mission:** Identified explicitly as an ESA spacecraft dedicated to orbiting Venus.
- **Polar Orbit:** Maintained a distinctive 90-degree orbital inclination around Venus.
- **24-Hour Orbit:** Possessed an orbital period exactly matching an Earth day (24 hours).
- **Destruction via Orbital Decay:** The spacecraft's mission concluded naturally through orbital decay and atmospheric entry rather than planned decommissioning.
- **Launch Configuration:** Utilized a specific combination of the Soyuz-FG launcher with a Fregat space tug (serial 1010) for deployment.

## Body

### Mission Profile
Venus Express was launched on November 9, 2005, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 31. The launch contractor was Starsem, utilizing a Soyuz-FG launch vehicle supported by a Fregat space tug. Following the launch, the spacecraft traveled to Venus and commenced orbital activity on April 11, 2006. The mission duration spanned approximately 289,785,600 seconds (roughly 9.2 years) from launch to final decay.

### Technical Specifications
The spacecraft was manufactured by Astrium and constructed with the following mass profile:
- **Launch Weight:** 1,270 kg
- **Dry Weight:** 700 kg
- **Payload:** 93 kg

The physical dimensions of the orbiter were 1.5 metres in length, 1.8 metres in width, and 1.4 metres in height. The spacecraft generated a nominal power output of 1,100 watts.

### Orbital Parameters
The spacecraft maintained a specific orbit around its parent astronomical body, Venus, characterized by the following parameters:
- **Orbital Period:** 24 hours
- **Inclination:** 90 degrees
- **Periapsis:** 460 km
- **Apoapsis:** 66,000 km (Note: Source text lists "63000" for apoapsis, while summary says 66,000. I will strictly follow the "Structured Properties" provided in the prompt which says `apoapsis: unit: kilometre, amount: 63000`. Correction made here: 63,000 km.)

### End of Mission
The operational phase of Venus Express concluded in early 2015. A significant event marked by "loss of signal" occurred on January 18, 2015. This was followed by "atmospheric entry" over Venus in February 2015. The official cause of destruction was recorded as orbital decay.

### Identifiers
- **COSPAR ID:** 2005-045A
- **NAIF ID:** -248
- **NSSDCA ID:** 2005-045A

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. [Source](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_stage/fregat.htm)
4. [Source](https://naif.jpl.nasa.gov/pub/naif/toolkit_docs/C/req/naif_ids.html)