Introduction

This presentation will provide an overview of Europe's first mission to the planet Venus. A description of the spacecraft's instruments will be given along with a summary of the spacecraft design. In addition, the engineering challenges associated with the mission will be highlighted.

The spacecraft itself is derived from the very successful Mars Express spacecraft. Although there are strong similarities, there also some significant differences, due to the very different environment at Venus, compared to Mars.

The primary responsibility for the UK industrial team is the propulsion system; of vital importance given that the spacecraft main engine is critical to the success of the Venus Express mission. Consequently, its role in achieving Venus Orbit will be highlighted and discussed.

The Venus Express spacecraft

In January 2003 EADS Astrium signed a contract with ESA for the design and development of Venus Express, the first European spacecraft to visit the planet Venus. Venus Express was launched onboard a Soyuz-Fregat rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in November 2005. After a journey of about five months, the actual mission around Venus will last nearly two Venusian years (about 500 Earth days).

Analysing the prevailing conditions in the atmosphere and in the near environment of Venus is of crucial importance for the understanding of long-term climatic evolution processes on Earth.

By re-using both the Mars Express spacecraft design and those spare instruments available from the earlier Mars Express and Rosetta programmes, Venus Express meets the triple challenge of its scientific objectives, its cost efficiency and its unrivalled development schedule.

Venus Express will carry out a global investigation of the Venusian atmosphere in terms of structure, composition and dynamics up to an altitude of 250 km. For that, it will carry seven scientific instruments: spectrometers, spectro-imagers and imagers covering a wavelength range from UV to thermal IR, along with a full plasma analyser.

Jerry Bolter has worked in the UK space industry for over 20 years. He graduated in Civil Engineering from Leeds University, where he also carried out his doctorate research into the active damping of structures.

Dr. Bolter started his career in industry in the Stress Office at British Aerospace, Space & Communications Division (now EADS Astrium) at Stevenage. For some years he managed the development of launch vehicle structures, and is now a Project Manager within the Earth Observation and Science Division.

Artist's impression of Venus Express orbiting Venus