Nasa recently announced two missions to go to Venus, DAVINCI+, and VERITAS. The goal of these missions is to understand how Venus became so hot that it could melt lead! Additionally, "DAVINCI+" is the first US-led mission to Venus since 1978.

What is the DAVINCI+ mission?

DAVINCI+ stands for Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging.

DAVINCI+ will be the first to send a probe into the planet's hot atmosphere. The spacecraft, in the end, will be a meter in diameter and is supposed to go through Venus's atmosphere in an hour and note the changes in the atmosphere. It will allow researchers to know how Venus's water has changed over time.

DAVINCI+ will also take the first high-resolution pictures of the unique geological features on Venus

What is the VERITAS mission?

This mission will orbit Venus and study the planet's surface to identify the differences between Venus and Earth. It will be doing this through radar technology to map out Venus in 3D space. It will allow researchers to know whether there is plate tectonics or volcanism still on Venus.

VERITAS is also going to host the Deep Space Atomic Clock-2, an ultra-precise clock signal that will enable autonomous spacecraft maneuvers and enhance radio science observations

This mission will allow researchers to know so much more about Venus than we know.

When will these missions launch?

The tentative period is sometime between 2028 and 2030.

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