Venus is the center of attention, as NASA’s Solar Orbiter has joined forces with the ESA to perform a close flyby of Venus. Besides, another ESA spacecraft BepiColombo will fly by the planet right after.
The spacecraft are both going towards the inner solar system. Solar Orbiter launched in 2020 with an aim to observe the Sun, while BepiColombo launched in 2018 and has been moving towards Mercury ever since.
Taking advantage of the flyby
Solar Orbitor approached the planet at a distance of about 4,967 miles (7,995 kilometers). It is followed by BepiColombo that will approach Venus at about 342 miles (550 km). This isn’t the first time these missions have encountered Venus. The Solar Orbiter spacecraft did its first Venus flyby last year and will make more trips around it over time. BepiColombo flew by the planet in October and will head to Mercury for its first of six flybys.
Astronomers have planned both spacecraft to take advantage of their proximity to Venus while traveling towards their respective destinations. Both spacecraft will also require the gravitational swing of Venus’s orbit to help reach their destinations.
Solar Orbiter will use the planet’s gravity multiple times to reach closer to the Sun and to alter its direction to get a good look at the sun’s poles, while BepiColombo needs gravitational pull from our planet, Venus and Mercury itself.
Observing Venus from other perspectives
As per ESA, the double flyby “offers an unprecedented opportunity to study the Venus environment from different locations at the same time.” The spacecraft will also be able to get a better look at locations on Venus that are yet to be explored.
Besides, the European Space Agency has also confirmed that it will be joining NASA in sending two missions to explore Venus. It shows that astronomers are keen to learn more about Earth’s closest neighbor. The planet share many characteristics with Earth, despite lacking capabilities of fostering life.
The mission from ESA will be called EnVision that will feature a high-resolution camera called VenSAR that will take high-res measurements of Venus’s surface. The camera will be provided by NASA.
