Venus Life Finder
Artist's impression of the Venus Life Finder's Photon Explorer over Venus, carrying the atmospheric probe before deployment | |
| Mission type | Atmospheric Probe |
|---|---|
| Operator | Rocket Lab / MIT |
| Website | |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Photon Explorer |
| Manufacturer | Rocket Lab |
| Dry mass | 17 kg (37 lb) |
| Payload mass | 1 kg (2.2 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | NET summer 2026 |
| Rocket | Neutron |
| Launch site | MARS, LC-3 |
| Contractor | Rocket Lab |
| Flyby of Moon | |
| Closest approach | 2026 - 2027? (planned) |
| Venus atmospheric probe | |
| Spacecraft component | Probe |
| Atmospheric entry | 2026 - 2027? (planned) |
| Transponders | |
| Band | S-band |
Venus Life Finder Missions | |
Venus Life Finder is a planned Venus space probe designed to detect signs of life in the Venusian atmosphere. Slated to be the first private mission to another planet, the spacecraft is being developed by Rocket Lab in collaboration with a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The spacecraft will consist of a Photon Explorer cruise stage which will send a small atmospheric probe into Venus with a single instrument, an autofluorescing nephelometer, to search for organic compounds within Venus' atmosphere. It is the first mission in the Morning Star Venus exploration program.
Originally planned for launch in May 2023, the probe is now planned to launch no earlier than summer 2026.