Europe Delays Satellite Launch to Venus, Originally Scheduled for October 26
The European Space Agency (ESA) has not yet announced a new official launch date for its satellite to Venus, stating only that the project has been postponed “by a few days“.
Initially, the exploratory satellite was set to be launched via a Russian Soyuz rocket from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
The satellite is expected to enter Venus’s orbit next year, utilizing scientific equipment to study the planet from space.
ESA indicated that the delay was due to the discovery of contamination on the Venus Express spacecraft caused by the launch pad’s lining.
An ESA spokesperson stated: “The satellite has been contaminated, so scientists will need to disassemble and reassemble it.”
Venus Express will also require cleaning to remove any residue from the launch pad lining.
The spacecraft aims to conduct the first global investigation of Venus’s atmosphere, with hopes of explaining the reasons behind the planet’s extreme climate.
Composed mainly of carbon dioxide, Venus’s atmosphere is heavily laden with greenhouse gases, trapping solar radiation and raising the planet’s surface temperature to an average of around 467 degrees Celsius.
Experts believe that studying Venus could provide insights into how Earth might respond to increasing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from human activities.
