Thales Alenia Space (TAS), a joint-venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) worth a total of 367 million Euros, for the supply of a satellite for ESA's EnVision mission to Venus. EnVision will embark five scientific instruments and a radio science experiment, to be carried out by the respective space agencies taking part in this exciting mission: the Italian Space Agency (ASI), the American space agency (NASA), the French space agency (CNES), the German aerospace research and technology centre (DLR) and the Belgian Science Policy Centre (BELSPO).

Venus and Earth: two “twin planets” that are so different

Some 20 years after the first European mission to Venus (Venus Express), EnVision's goal is to explore this planet accurately and systematically from its inner core to the upper layers of the atmosphere, analysing its interaction with the surface. The intention is to provide an integrated view of Venus, studying its history,activity and climate in an attempt to better understand why Earth's ‘twin’ planet, so similar in size and distance from the sun, is so different and uninhabitable today. EnVision is scheduled for launch in November 2031.

As the prime contractor, TAS will be responsible for the entire satellite, hosting five scientific instruments and an ultra-stable oscillator to perform radio science experiments.

The aerobraking phase:

The entry into orbit around Venus will include an aerobraking phase lasting several months, during which the orbit will be progressively circularised thanks to the friction of the satellite's surfaces with the planet's atmosphere. This will be a particularly delicate phase for the stability and temperature of the satellite. This will be followed by the actual scientific observation phase, which is expected to last about 6 Venusian years,corresponding to 4 Earth years.

Thanks to its consolidated experience as prime contractor on complex scientific missions, the last of which was Euclid, Thales Alenia Space will draw in particular on the aerobraking experience gained with ExoMars’Trace Gas Orbiter in 2016.

ESA has authorised the next phases up to the spacecraft in-orbit commissioning around Venus. An importantupcoming milestone will be the spacecraft system requirements review in 2025. In parallel, the selection ofthe industrial team will be completed and full authorisation to proceed with Phase C/D is expected in June 2026.

Thales Alenia Space leading the industrial consortium:

As prime contractor, TAS will be responsible for the entire satellite, featuring 5 scientific instruments and an ultra-stable oscillator to perform radio science experiments, provided by ESA Member States and NASA, in further detail:

VenSAR (Venus Synthetic Aperture Radar)

VenSpec suite (spectrometer suite) consisting of:

VenSpec-H (High-Resolution Infrared Spectrometer) 

VenSpec-U (Ultraviolet Spectral Imager)

VenSpec-M (Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) and Central Control Unit (CCU)

Subsurface Radar Sounder (SRS)

Radio Science Experiment (RSE).

For the spacecraft Thales Alenia Space in Italy selected an Industrial Core Team composed of OHB, responsible for the mechanical, thermal, and propulsion subsystem, and Thales Alenia Space in France in charge of the Attitude and Orbit Control Subsystem (AOCS) and aerobraking analysis.

The EnVision mission

It is dedicated to the study of Venus and was adopted in 2024 by ESA's Science Programme Committee as the 5th medium-class mission within the Agency's Cosmic Vision plan.

EnVision is an ESA-led mission in partnership with NASA that provides Synthetic Aperture Radar (VenSAR) and DeepSpace Network support for mission-critical phases. 

It will reach Venus after a 15-month cruise. After its arrival, the orbiter will spend about a year aerobraking through Venus' atmosphere to gradually reach its scientific orbit, a near low-polar orbit of Venus, at an altitude of 220 to 540 km and with an orbital period of approximately 94 minutes.