Venus Life Finder (VLF) [Rocket Lab]
Venus Life Finder (VLF) is a small direct Venus entry probe with a single 1 kg instrument riding on satellite bus based on their Kick Stage Upper stage of the Electron rocket.
The probe mission will spend approximately 5 minutes in the Venus cloud layers, 48-60 km above the surface, collecting in situ measurements. To search for organic molecules in cloud particles and constrain particle composition, a low-mass, low-cost autofluorescing nephelometer will be used.
The Rocket Lab mission to Venus was originally scheduled to launch in May 2023, but was delayed to January 2025.
Nation: | New Zealand |
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Type / Application: | Venus probe |
Operator: | Rocket Lab |
Contractors: | Rocket Lab |
Equipment: | Entry capsule |
Configuration: | Explorer (Photon-IP) bus |
Propulsion: | |
Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
Lifetime: | |
Mass: | |
Orbit: | Solar orbit |
Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
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Venus Life Finder (VLF) | - | 2025 | OnS | Electron Photon-IP |