Over the past 3 decades more than 20 Missions succeeded to explore Venus, with orbiters, probes, landers and balloons. In addition, many attempts have failed, teaching us valuable lessons about the challenges of space exploration and the extreme environments of our sister planet.

From the beginning of the space age, Venus was considered a most tempting destination for spacecraft exploration. Following the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, an informal competition between the United States and the Soviet Union developed to see who could make the furthest advancements into space. Venus was a natural showcase to display each nation’s technological and scientific breakthroughs. Both nation’s programs were highly successful in their effort to reach Earth’s “sister planet” and learn more about its atmospheric and geological features.

Opportunities to launch a spacecraft to Venus are spaced at intervals of approximately every 19 months. From 1962 to 1985 almost all of these opportunities were utilized. Please browse the left hand navigation to learn more about these past missions. In addition, descriptions of future planned missions to Venus are included.