Russia Schedules Venera-D Venus Mission Launch for 2036

Russia has included the Venera-D mission in its national space program, with funding allocated and a defined timeline for development and launch.

The Venera-D mission is scheduled to begin its conceptual design phase in January 2026, as part of the national “Space” project. The design phase is expected to last approximately two years, according to information from the Russian Academy of Sciences and related agencies.

Oleg Korablev, who leads the Planetary Physics Department at the Space Research Institute (IKI), stated that the mission will consist of a lander, an aerostatic probe, and an orbiter. This combination of components is intended to support a range of scientific objectives for the study of Venus.

Gennady Krasnikov, president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, announced in August 2025 that the Venera-D mission has been postponed, with the launch now planned for 2036. This adjustment aligns with the current national planning period for space projects.

What the numbers show

• Conceptual design work will begin in January 2026
• The design phase is expected to last about two years
• Launch is scheduled for no later than 2036
• Previous estimates suggested a launch in 2034-2035

Lev Zelyony, scientific director at IKI, previously indicated that the launch of Venera-D was unlikely to occur before 2034 or 2035. However, more recent statements from institutional leaders confirm the current target of 2036 for the mission’s launch.

Wikipedia and other public records as of 2024 also indicate that the earliest planned launch date for Venera-D is 2036. This timeline reflects updates from official Russian sources and aligns with the latest national space project schedules.

The mission’s inclusion in the national “Space” project ensures that funding and resources are allocated for its development. The project’s scope covers the full process from conceptual design to eventual launch and operation.

Venera-D is designed to deploy multiple scientific instruments to Venus, including a lander to study the planet’s surface, an aerostatic probe for atmospheric research, and an orbiter for long-term observation. These components are intended to provide comprehensive data about Venus within the mission’s operational period.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.