Subscribe with SteadyVenus Life Finder (VLF)
Venus Life Finder (VLF) [Rocket Lab]
Venus Life Finder (VLF) is a small direct Venus entry probe with a single 1 kg instrument riding on satellite bus based on their Kick Stage Upper stage of the Electron rocket.
The probe mission will spend approximately 5 minutes in the Venus cloud layers, 48-60 km above the surface, collecting in situ measurements. To search for organic molecules in cloud particles and constrain particle composition, a low-mass, low-cost autofluorescing nephelometer will be used.
The Rocket Lab mission to Venus was originally scheduled to launch in May 2023, but was delayed to January 2025.
| Nation: | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Venus probe |
| Operator: | Rocket Lab |
| Contractors: | Rocket Lab |
| Equipment: | Entry capsule |
| Configuration: | Explorer (Photon-IP) bus |
| Propulsion: | hyperCurie |
| Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | |
| Orbit: | Solar orbit |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venus Life Finder (VLF) | - | 2026 | OnS | Electron Photon-IP |
Launch Sites:
- OnS = Onenui Station, Mahia, Wairoa, North Island, New Zealand
References:
- Richard French, Christophe Mandy, Richard Hunter, Ehson Mosleh, Doug Sinclair, Peter Beck, Sara Seager, Janusz J. Petkowski et al and on behalf of the Rocket Lab Venus Team: Rocket Lab Mission to Venus
