Venus Express

 2005-045A

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VEX uses the Astrium Mars Express bus, with the S400 propulsion system. Soyuz-ST/Fregat by KB. Mass 1240 kg including 570 kg prop. Fregat mass at Blok I sep is 6270 kg.

Ops from Cebreros, Spain and ESOC.

Box 1.5 x 1.8 x 1.4m + 2 panels, span 8.0m.

Launch by Soyuz-FG No. 010 (ST14) and Fregat 1010.

At injection, altitude is 334 km and velocity is 2.78 km/s, inclination 51.57 deg.

Injection was Vinf= 2.7968 km/s, Ra, Dec 309.52 -21.01.

VEX
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2005 Nov 9	0333:34	Launch by Soyuz-ST/Fregat	KB LC31
		T+1:58 St 1 sep
	0337	T+4:14 GO sep
		T+4:47 St 2 sep 150km 4.5 km/s
		T+4:58 KhO sep
	0342	T+8:45 Blok I MECO
	0342	T+8:48 Blok I sep 190 km. 7.750km/s	30? x 190 x 51.8
		T+8:53 Fregat ullage
	0343:23	T+9:48 Fregat MES-1 20s 50m/s
	0343:43	T+10:08 Fregat MECO-1 EOI 185.9 x 188.5 x 51.7
	0410?	Stage 3 reenter over Pacific 165W 15S?
	0453	T+1:22:00 Fregat MES-2 escape burn
	0509	T+1:36:10 Fregat MECO-2
	0511	T+1:36:30 Fregat sep	334 x -114954 x 51.6
	1439	Pass EL1:4
2005 Nov 10	0638:52	TCM-0 0.5m/s 48s, test
2005 Nov 10	1010	Pass lunar orbit
2005 Nov 11	0614:33	TCM-1 3.4m/s 209s
2005 Nov 12	1230	Leave Earth sphere SOI
2005 Nov 14	1857	Depart Earth sphere 1.5Mkm
2005 Nov 25			285.01d 0.7020 x 0.9931 AU x 0.26
2006 Feb 17		3s TCM 2.8m/s, 400N engine
2006 Mar 29		TCM 0.13m/s
2006 Apr 8	2238	Enter Venus sphere 1.01Mkm
2006 Apr 9	2150	Enter Venus sphere SOI
2006 Apr 11	0000		374 x -43251 x 89.61
2006 Apr 11	0710:29s	VOI 1.252 km/s (1.31 km/s) 53min
	0736:37s	Periapsis 250 km ?
	0755:13	End of eclipse
	0800:42s	VOI MECO
	0840		-19 x 324447 x 89.65 (HOR)
		VOI CO	250 x 220000 x 90?
			662 x 330685 km x 90
2006 Apr 15	1830	Apoapasis 1	114 x 326550 x 89.71
2006 Apr 15	1830	PCM-1 5.1 m/s
		-108 x 326550 x 89.70 (HOR)
		257 x 330685 x 90 (ESA Bul)
2006 Apr 20	0450	Periapsis 2, VOI-2 257 km
	1830	ALM-1 200.3 m/s 379s
			259 x 99108 x 90.0
2006 Apr 23	1730	VOI-3 ALM-2 105.3m/s main eng.	266 x 70463 x 89.99
2006 Apr 26	2300	VOI-4 ALM-3 9.2m/s, 10N thrusters	1491.255 274 x 68408 x 90.00
2006 Apr 28		Periapsis
2006 Apr 30	0300	VOI-5 ALM-4 8.0m/s 603s	1450.245 282 x 66911 x 90.00
			268 x 67000 x 90.0 (ESABul)
2006 May 3	1323?	ALM-5 2.0m/s 233s	268 x 66582 x 90
2006 May 6		PCM-2 at apoapsis
2006 May 7			1438.368 247 x 66513 x 90.00
		Pericenter at 84N
2008 Jul		Orbit adjust burns
2008 Aug 4	s	Orbit adjust complete	185? x
2009		Fregat stage in 0.7 x 1.3 AU orbit
2010 Jan 13	1246	Fregat stage passes 131023 km from Earth
2012 Mar 8		Star tracker failure after solar storm
2012 Mar 9		Star trackers operating again
2014 May 17		Begin walk-in phase, natural pericenter decrease	190 km
2014 Jun 18		Begin EOM aerobraking phase, 137 km
2014 Jun 23	1042	OCM, lower peri 2.8 km to circa 135 km
2014 Jun 23	2231	Periapsis
2014 Jul 2		OCM lower by 0.8 km	130 km Peri
2014 Jul 12		Dip to 129.1 km
2014 Jul 12	s	End aerobraking, peri raise burns
2014 Jul 18		Peri raise burn 8, 300 km peri
2014 Jul 26		Peri raise burn 15, 460 km	460 x 63000
2014 Nov 23		Begin peri raise burns
2014 Nov 28		Loss of attitude control
		Loss of contact (some telem packets)
		In safemode
2015 Jan 19		last detection of carrier signal	120 x
2015 mid?		reentry

Payload:

• ASPERA Analyser of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms

• PFS High resolution IR Fourier Spectrometer

• SPICAV UV and IR spectrometer for solar/stellar occultation and nadir observations

• VeRa Venus Radio Science instrument

• VIRTIS UV-Visible-IR imaging spectrometer

• VMC Venus Monitoring Camera

• MAG Magnetometer