VERITAS (spacecraft)

<p>VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) is an upcoming mission from <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a>'s <a href="/facts/Jet_Propulsion_Laboratory/zPXnxRBf">Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> (JPL) to map the surface of the planet <a href="/facts/Venus/pADnueP6">Venus</a> in high resolution. The combination of topography, near-infrared <a href="/facts/Spectroscopy/mj71FuNK">spectroscopy</a>, and radar image data will provide knowledge of Venus's tectonic and impact history, gravity, geochemistry, the timing and mechanisms of <a href="/facts/Volcanism_on_Venus/HaQRSKxN">volcanic resurfacing</a>, and the mantle processes responsible for them.
</p><p>On 4 November 2022, NASA announced the  postponement of the mission launch from 2027 to 2031, citing institutional problems at JPL delaying the launch of <a href="/facts/Psyche_(spacecraft)/BvTWfBRG">Psyche</a>. The mission's Principal Investigator <a href="/facts/Suzanne_Smrekar/wVw6QFID">Suzanne Smrekar</a> has counterproposed a November 2029 launch date, which she argued would require only modest "bridge" funding and compared to the 2031 option would offer lower overall cost and fewer conflicts with <a href="/facts/DAVINCI/obTW37wk">DAVINCI</a> and <a href="/facts/EnVision/QUhBnTAE">EnVision</a>; this position obtained endorsement by a Congressional committee in October 2023. In November 2024, Smrekar stated that the mission was aiming to launch in June 2031.
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VERITAS (spacecraft) open-in-new

VERITAS (spacecraft)