Exploring The Planets - VENUS - Missions to Venus

Spacecraft	Launch Date	Type of Mission
Mariner 2	1962	Flyby; first to fly by Venus
Venera 4	1967	Hard-lander; first to descend through atmosphere
Mariner 5	1967	Flyby
Venera 5	1969	Hard-lander
Venera 6	1969	Hard-lander
Venera 7	1970	Soft-lander; first to soft land on surface
Venera 8	1972	Soft-lander
Mariner 10	1973	Flyby en route to Mercury
Venera 9	1975	Orbiter, soft-lander; first to return photos of surface
Venera 10	1975	Orbiter, soft-lander
Pioneer-Venus 1	1978	Orbiter with radar altimeter; first detailed radar mapping of surface
Pioneer-Venus 2	1978	Four hard-landers
Venera 11	1978	Flyby, soft-lander
Venera 12	1978	Flyby, soft-lander
Venera 13	1981	Orbiter, soft-lander; first color images of surface
Venera 14	1981	Orbiter, soft-lander
Venera 15	1983	Orbiter with radar mapper
Venera 16	1983	Orbiter with radar mapper
Vega 1	1984	Flyby, atmospheric balloon probe
Vega 2	1984	Flyby, atmospheric balloon probe
Magellan	1989	Orbiter with radar mapper; first high-resolution global map of Venus

Pioneer-Venus 1 Orbiter
(1:96 scale model) in Exploring The Planets gallery.

Pioneer-Venus 1 Orbiter

The Pioneer-Venus orbiter carried a radar altimeter, which was used to make the first global map of the surface elevations. The orbiter's main antenna was used to produce moderate-resolution radar images of the equatorial region.

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Pioneer-Venus 2
(1:96 scale model) in Exploring The Planets gallery.

Pioneer-Venus 2
Bus and Landers

The Pioneer-Venus bus carried and released four probes, which measured the atmospheric composition, temperature, and pressure as they descended toward a hard landing on the surface.