Surface Features
Notable Landmarks
Maxwell Montes
The tallest mountain on Venus, rising about 11 km above the mean planetary radius.
Aphrodite Terra
The largest highland area of Venus, roughly the size of Africa, consisting of complex ridges and valleys.
Ishtar Terra
A highland region near the north pole of Venus, featuring the Maxwell Montes mountain range.
Lakshmi Planum
A broad plateau surrounded by mountain ranges within Ishtar Terra, featuring large volcanic structures.
Venus's Moons
Venus has no natural moons. Scientists believe this may be due to its close proximity to the Sun—any early moons may have been destabilized by the Sun’s gravity or pulled in and destroyed over time.
Venus Exploration History
Venera program
The Soviet Venera program sent multiple probes to Venus. Venera 7 became the first spacecraft to transmit data from the surface of another planet.
Pioneer Venus
NASA's Pioneer Venus mission launched an orbiter and multiple probes to study Venus’ dense atmosphere and cloud structure.
Magellan
Magellan mapped 98% of Venus’ surface with radar, revealing volcanic plains and tectonic features previously unknown.
Akatsuki
Japan’s Akatsuki orbiter monitors Venus’ atmospheric dynamics and cloud structures from orbit.
Current Venus Missions
Akatsuki
Japan’s Akatsuki mission studies the atmospheric dynamics and cloud structures of Venus using multiple infrared and ultraviolet instruments. It is the only spacecraft currently orbiting Venus.
Akatsuki continues to return valuable data on Venus’s weather and super-rotating atmosphere as of 2025.
Future Venus Exploration
Upcoming Missions
VERITAS
NASA's VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) mission will map Venus' surface in high resolution to understand its geologic history.
DAVINCI+
NASA's DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) mission will study Venus' atmosphere composition and evolution by sending a probe.
EnVision
ESA's EnVision orbiter will provide detailed radar imaging of Venus to understand internal structure and recent volcanic activity.
Venus Life Finder
Rocket Lab and MIT’s mission to send a small atmospheric probe to Venus to search for potential biosignatures in the clouds.
Long-Term Visions
Though Venus' surface is too hostile for human settlement, some future concepts envision cloud cities floating high in the atmosphere, where conditions are more Earth-like.
Challenges & Solutions
Extreme Temperatures
Venus has surface temperatures exceeding 460°C (860°F), hot enough to melt lead.
- Operate only in upper atmosphere (~50 km altitude)
- Use high-temperature resistant materials
- Deploy autonomous aerial platforms
Atmospheric Pressure
The surface pressure on Venus is over 90 times that of Earth, equivalent to deep ocean depths.
- Avoid surface operations
- Design probes to withstand high pressures
- Focus on high-altitude cloud missions
Corrosive Atmosphere
Venus’ clouds contain concentrated sulfuric acid, posing serious challenges for materials and electronics.
- Use acid-resistant coatings and alloys
- Develop sealed autonomous probes
- Limit exposure time in cloud layers
Venus Image Gallery
First Close-Up Photo of Venus
Captured by Mariner 10, on Feb. 5, 1974
Venus from Parker Solar Probe
Captured by Parker Solar Probe, on Feb. 2021
Venus From Mariner 10
Mariner 10 Orbiter
Venus in Ultraviolet Light
Captured by Pioneer Venus Orbiter on Feb. 5, 1979
Computer Simulated Global View of the Northern Hemisphere of Venus
Created with data from Megallan spacecraft
Venus Cloud Tops
Captured by the Hubble Space Telescope on Jan. 24, 1995
MESSENGER Approaching Venus
Captured by MESSENGER on June 5, 2007
Radar Observations of Venus
Megallan imaged more than 98% of Venus