Soviet Venus Probe Launches

 
#
Official name
ID
Date
UT
Launcher
Probe type
Remarks
1
Sputnik 7
1961-002A
04.02.61
01:18
8K78 #L-1-6
1VA
(No. 1)
4 th stage ullage rocket unit failed due to absence of power to its timer (D/DC converter failure). Intended to impact Venus.
2
Venera-1
1961-003A
12.02.61
00:34
8K78 #L-1-7
1VA
(No. 2)
Probe failed. Intended to impact Venus.
3
-
1962-040A
25.08.62
02:56
8K78 #T-103-12
2MV-1
(No. 3)
At T+60:50 min one of 4 solid ullage rockets in 4 th stage did not fire causing tthe stage to tumble. Intended to land on Venus.
4
-
1962-043C
01.09.62
02:12
8K78 #T-103-13
2MV-1
(No. 4)
At T+61:30 min the 4 th stage ignition command failed because fuel valve did not open. Intended to land on Venus.
5
-
1962-045A
12.09.62
00:59
8K78 #T-103-14
2MV-2
(No.1)
At T+531 secs one vernier in 3rd stage exploded because LOX valve did not close. 4th stage did enter orbit, but oxidiser pump cavitated and 4 th stage main engine cut off after 0.8 sec. A Venus fly-by was intended.
6
-
-
19.02.64
05:37
8K78M #T15000-19 
3MV-1A
(No. 4A)
LOX leak in 3 rd stage froze fuel in pipe and it eventually exploded. An engineering test.
7
Kosmos 27
1964-014A
27.03.64
03:24
8K78M #T15000-22
3MV-1
(No. 5)
While in parking orbit 4th stage lost attitude control because pneumatic valves in control system lost power. Intended to land on Venus.
8
Zond-1
1964-016D
02.04.64
02:42
8K78M #T15000-23
3MV-1
(No. 4)
Probe failed en-route. Intended to land on Venus.
9
Venera-2
1965-091A
12.11.65
05:02
8K78M
3MV-4
(No. 4)
m=963 kg. Passed Venus 0222 UT 27 Feb 1966 at 24000km
10
Venera-3
1965-092A
16.11.65
04:19
8K78M
3MV-3
(No. 1)
m=960 kg. Reached surface of Venus at 0656 UT 1 March 1966.
11
Kosmos 96
1965-094A
23.11.65
03:14
8K78M
3MV-4
(No. 6)
At T+528 sec one engine of 3rd stage blew up due to broken fuel-line. 4 th stage entered orbit tumbling. Venus fly-by intended.
12
Venera-4
1967-058A
12.06.67
02:40
8K78M
1V (V-67)
m=1106 kg.
13
Kosmos 167
1967-063A
17.06.67
02:36
8K78M
1V (V-67)
4th stage failed to ignite, because turbopump had not been cooled prior to ignition. Wiring error suspected. A landing on Venus was intended.
14
Venera-5
1969-001A
05.01.69
06:28
8K78M
2V (V-69)
Venera 5 survived for 53 minutes in the atmosphere of Venus and reached  26 km from the surface.
15
Venera-6
1969-002A
10.01.69
05:52
8K78M
2V (V-69)
Venera 6 said to have survived to 10-12 km altitude 51 minutes after atmospheric entry.
16
 Venera-7 1970-060A 17.08.70 05:38 8K78M 3V (V-70) The capsule landed at 5oS, 351o longitude. The environment on the surface measured to be 90 +/- 15 atm, 475 +/- 20oC.
17
 Kosmos 359 1970-065A 22.08.70 05:06 8K78M 3V (V-70) The 4 th stage was late in igniting and cut off early after 25 sec because of faulty sequencer and DC/DC converter failure.
18
 Venera-8 1972-021A 27.03.72 04:15:00 8K78M 3V (V-72) Landed successfully. The environment on the surface was  470 +/- 8oC, 93 atm.
19
 Kosmos 482 1972-023A 31.03.72 04:02:33 8K78M 3V (V-72) The 4 th stage cut off early after 125 sec due to faulty timer
20
 Venera-9 1975-050A 08.06.75 02:37 8K82K-D 4V-1 m=4936 kg. Took first surface picture.
21
 Venera-10 1975-054A 14.06.75 03:08 8K82K-D 4V-1 m=5033 kg. Took picture of surface.
22
 Venera-11 1978-084A 09.09.78 04:51:50 8K82K-D1 4V-1 -
23
 Venera-12 1978-086A 14.09.78 02:25 8K82K-D1 4V-1 -
24
 Venera-13 1981-106A 30.10.81 06:04 8K82K-D1 4V-1M -
25
 Venera-14 1981-110A 04.11.81 05:31 8K82K-D1 4V-1M -
26
 Venera-15 1983-053A 02.06.83 02:38 8K82K-D1 4V2 Orbited Venus. Carried imaging radar.
27
 Venera-16 1983-054A 07.06.83 02:32 8K82K-D1 4V2 Orbited Venus. Carried imaging radar.
28
 Vega-1 1984-125A 15.12.84 09:16:24 8K82K-D1 5VK Dropped capsule on Venus. Flew by Halley's comet. Telemetry rates: 3.072 - 65.536 kbps
29
 Vega-2 1984-128A 20.12.84 09:13:52 8K82K-D1 5VK Dropped capsule on Venus. Flew by Halley's comet. 

Note: The launch time 00:00:00 denotes that the launch time is not known at the time of writing.

Sources:

  1. Timothy Varfolomeyev, "The Soviet VenusProgramme",Spaceflight, February 1993, pp.42-43.
  2. Timothy Varfolomeyev, " Soviet Rocketry that Conquered Space, Part 5, The First Planetary Probe Attempts, 1960-64",Spaceflight, March 1998, pp.85-88.
  3. Ferdinand Kasmann, "Proton - development of a Russian launch vehicle", JBIS, Vol.51, pp-3-18, 1998.
  4. Boris Chertok, "Rakety i lyudi" vol. 3 (cited by Bart Hendrickx in e-mail message 10 Nov 1998)
  5. Henk H.F. Smid, e-mail message 10 Nov 1998 with many of the launch times.
[Space History Notes]