Venera-7 was a Soviet spacecraft launched in August 1970 that successfully soft-landed on Venus in December 1970, becoming the first probe to land on another planet and transmit data from its surface.

Despite a hard impact and antenna misalignment, it survived to send back temperature and pressure readings, providing the first direct measurements from the Venusian surface and proving the existence of high atmospheric pressures and temperatures on the planet.

Key Facts

Launch Date:

August 17, 1970.

Mission:

To make a soft landing on Venus and transmit data from the surface.

Historic Achievement:

The first spacecraft to successfully land on another planet and send data from its surface.

Landing Date:

December 15, 1970.

Key Data Transmitted:

Temperature and pressure measurements from the Venusian surface, extrapolated to approximately 465°C and 90 atm.

Design:

A heavily overbuilt, spherical titanium pressure vessel designed to withstand Venus's extreme conditions, along with shock-absorbing materials and a smaller parachute for a faster descent.

Mission Outcome

Venera-7's parachute failed prematurely, resulting in a much harder-than-intended landing. The probe toppled over, but it remained functional enough to transmit weak data for 23 minutes before its batteries died. This mission provided crucial data about Venus's hostile environment, establishing the baseline for understanding its atmospheric conditions.