Europe’s first space probe to investigate the planet Venus is ready for launch on schedule on 26 October 2005. Venus Express, built by EADS Astrium as prime contractor for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be launched aboard a Starsem Soyuz-Fregat launch vehicle, from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. EADS owns 35% of Starsem with Arianespace holding a further 15%.
Venus Express is one of the least costly missions to be sent to Venus. Including in-orbit support operations up to the final handover in April 2006, the spacecraft programme has cost €84.2 million. The contract, which was signed by ESA and EADS Astrium in January 2003, is between three and four times less expensive than equivalent scientific space missions.
The mission meets the triple challenge of achieving its scientific objectives, within extremely tight cost and development schedule constraints. This achievement has only been made possible by re-using the same satellite design as for the successful Mars Express mission, and six scientific instruments used on the Rosetta (three) and Mars Express (three) missions. A seventh instrument is a new development. As a result the satellite was built in only 33 months compared with 48 months for Mars Express.
Venus Express development started in late 2002. In the first half of this year the spacecraft successfully completed its environmental test campaign in Intespace Toulouse and Flight Acceptance Review prior to arriving in Baikonur on 6 August 2005.
For two Venusian years (which is also two Venusian days and equivalent to 500 Earth days), the probe will investigate the atmosphere of the hottest planet in terms of structure, composition and dynamics. Venus Express, carrying seven scientific instruments, will orbit the second planet of the solar system at an altitude between 250 and 66,000 kilometres by flying above its poles.
Analysing and understanding the prevailing conditions in the atmosphere and in the near environment of Venus is of critical importance to understanding long term climatic processes governing the evolution of life on Earth.
The success of the Mars Express mission, and of Rosetta and Venus Express, establishes EADS Astrium as the European leader in scientific interplanetary missions.
EADS Astrium is Europe’s leading satellite system specialist. Its activities cover complete civil and military telecommunications and Earth observation systems, science and navigation programmes, and all spacecraft avionics and equipment. EADS Astrium is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS SPACE which is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems. In 2004 EADS SPACE had a turnover of €2.6 billion and 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of €31.8 billion and employed a workforce of more than 110,000.
