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Venus-Express Station To Be Launched From Baikonur

Posted on: Wednesday, 16 July 2003, 06:00 CDT

MOSCOW. July 16 (Interfax) - European and Russian space experts are planning to launch the Venus-Express space station to Venus from Baikonur in 2005, chief of the European Space Agency's office in Russia Alain Fournier-Sicr told Interfax on Wednesday.

This decision was made following the successful launch of the Mars-Express spacecraft from Baikonur. Venus-Express will be lifted by a Russian Soyuz rocket in late October or early November, 2005.

Venus-Express, like Mars-Express, will be loaded with equipment developed jointly with Russian space researchers. Russia's experience in studying Venus will be used to develop the vehicle's research program, said Fournier-Sicr.

The world's scientists have been exploring Venus for many years and have sent several space vehicles to this planet. In the 1970s- 80s, the Soviet Venera and Vega probes, and the American Pioneer- Venus, were sent to the planet. Given the extreme conditions near Venus, not all of these probes managed to transfer information to Earth. Yet the chemical structure of the atmosphere and parts of its surface had been analyzed. Soviet probes even took pictures of the surface of Venus.

In 1990, the American vehicle Magellan was put into a near-Venus orbit. It drew a detailed map of the planet and over four years took pictures of 98% of its surface. Magellan burned up in the atmosphere of Venus in October 1994 following commands from the Earth.

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