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Missions to Venus:
(Unless otherwise noted, JPL manages the following missions for NASA.)
Back to Venus home page
Past:
Mariner 2
Mariner 2, developed to fly by
Venus, studied the planet's atmosphere and surface. During its journey to Venus, the craft measured for the
first time solar wind. |
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Launch Date: |
August 27, 1962 |
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Flyby: |
December 14, 1962 |
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Mariner 5
Mariner 5 flew within 4,000 kilometers (approximately 2,500 miles) of Venus. |
| Launch Date: |
June 14, 1967 |
| Flyby: |
October 19, 1967 |
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Mariner 10
With the scorched inner planet of Mercury as its ultimate target, the Mariner 10 spacecraft pioneered the use of a (gravity assist) swing by Venus to bend its flight path.
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| Launch Date: |
November 3, 1973 |
| Flybys: |
Venus on February 5, 1974;
Mercury on March 29 and September 21, 1974, and March 16, 1975 |
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Magellan Mission
Magellan orbited Venus and mapped 99 percent
of its surface. |
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