MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The main elements of the spacecraft, the orbiter and the lander, will be produced in Russia. NASA has been considering providing an entry vehicle — the Venus Atmospheric Manoeuvrable Platform (VAMP) — produced by the US Northrop Grumman company. The mission can also include aerostatic balloons or a subsatellite.
"The launch of the mission is possible in 2026-2027 and it will continue with year-and-a-half intervals, using Angara-A5 rocket and KVTK or Briz upper stage engines," the IKI spokeswoman Ludmila Zasova said at the Seventh Moscow Solar System Symposium.
Venera-D project is aimed at creation of a long-living station for investigation of surface, atmosphere, and environment of Venus. In 2003, Venera-D mission was included into the Federal Space Program for 2006-2015, but following the loss of the sample return mission to Phobos on November 2011 the launch was postponed till 2025.
