ESA's EnVision Mission Doesn't Have Much Fuel, So Will Aerobrake in Venus' Atmosphere
Venus has almost become a “forgotten planet”, with only one space mission carried out there in the last 30 years. But the recent resurgence of interest in Earth’s closest neighbor led NASA and ESA to commit to three new missions to Venus, all set to launch in the early 2030s. ESA’s EnVision Venus mission is scheduled to take high-resolution optical, spectral and radar images of the planet’s surface. But to do so, the van-sized spacecraft would need to perform a special maneuver called aerobraking to gradually slow down and lower its orbit through the planet’s hot, thick atmosphere. Aerobraking uses atmospheric drag to slow the spacecraft and EnVision will make thousands of passes through Venus’ atmosphere over about two years. Aerobraking maneuvers are a necessity for the mission. Remove All Ads in Universe Today Join our Patreon for only $3! Get an ad-free experience for life “EnVision as it is currently understood could not have occurred without this lengthy aerobraking phase,” sa