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Mission record

Venera 7

Also known as Venus 7, Venera7

U.S.S.R · Launched

Explore trajectory

Completed · Success

Venera 7 was a Soviet Venus mission whose titanium descent craft entered the nightside atmosphere of Venus on 15 December 1970. Its parachute ripped during descent and the probe struck the surface hard at about 16.5 m/s, but it survived and kept transmitting a weak signal for roughly a further 23 minutes - a return recognised only in later analysis of recorded radio signals - making it the first spacecraft to return data from the surface of another planet. A commutator failure meant only temperature, not pressure, was transmitted.

Destinations
Venus
Launch vehicle
Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) with 2nd Generation Upper Stage + Escape Stage
Launch site
Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), U.S.S.R
Countries
Soviet Union
Mission types
Lander, Atmospheric probe

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Launch

    Launch from Tyuratam into Earth parking orbit, then escape toward Venus

    NSSDCA: launched "into an Earth parking orbit and then from a Tyazheliy Sputnik towards Venus". The identical companion spacecraft launched five days later failed to leave Earth orbit and was designated Cosmos 359.

    Earth

  2. Milestone

    First mid-course correction

    NSSDCA states "Two mid-course corrections were made, on 2 October and 17 November." The year 1970 is not written on the page but follows from the stated August 1970 launch and December 1970 arrival.

  3. Milestone

    Second mid-course correction

    NSSDCA states "Two mid-course corrections were made, on 2 October and 17 November." The year 1970 is not written on the page but follows from the stated launch and arrival dates.

  4. Milestone

    First transmission from the surface of another planet

    NASA lists Venera 7 for both "First transmission from the surface of another planet" and "First soft-landing and return of surface data from Venus", dated 15 December 1970. The achievement is routinely overstated: per NSSDCA the post-impact return was a weak signal detected only in later analysis of recorded radio signals, the probe is believed to have bounced and come to rest on its side with the antenna mispointed, and a commutator failure meant only temperature was transmitted. The surface temperature read 474 C for 50 seconds and then a steady 457 C; a surface pressure of 92 bar was extrapolated, not measured.

    Venus

  5. Mission end

    Mission ends; NSSDCA decay date 1970-12-15

    NSSDCA's launch/orbital record lists the decay date as 1970-12-15, the day the descent craft reached the surface and its signal ceased.

    Venus

  6. Milestone

    Descent craft separates from the bus and enters the nightside atmosphere

    The lander probe was allowed to cool to -8 degrees C before entry. NSSDCA notes that all quoted times are "spacecraft time = Earth received time minus 3 minutes 22 seconds light travel time".

    Venus

  7. Deployment

    Top hatch blown, parachute deployed, transmissions commence

    The hatch was designed to be released at 700 mb, planned for about 60 km altitude; NSSDCA notes 700 mb is now known to correspond to about 52.5 km. A commutator failure meant no direct pressure measurements were returned, only temperature.

    Venus

  8. Milestone

    Reefed parachute opens fully, slowing descent from 27 to 19 m/s

    Venus

  9. Milestone

    Parachute rips and collapses; probe falls free for a further 18 minutes

    Velocity increased from 15 to 26 m/s; the probe free-fell toward the surface for a further 18 minutes 24 seconds (05:15:46 to 05:34:10 UT), slowed by the thickening atmosphere. NSSDCA's wording of "another 29 minutes" is contradicted by the impact time on the same page.

    Venus

  10. Landing

    Hard landing on Venus at about 16.5 m/s at 5 degrees S, 351 degrees E

    Landing point 5 degrees S, 351 degrees E. On impact "the signals weakened, reached full strength for about one second, and then seemingly ceased". The descent-craft record gives the impact speed as about 16.5 m/s; the spacecraft-level record gives about 17 m/s. NSSDCA describes it as "a much harder than intended landing".

    Venus

  11. Loss of contact

    Weak post-landing signal ends after about 23 minutes

    NSSDCA: "Later analysis of the recorded radio signals revealed that the probe had survived the impact and continued transmitting a weak signal for another 23 minutes, until 5:57:08 UT." The spacecraft-level record states the 23-minute duration without giving an end time.

    Venus

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • Venera 7 bus · Spacecraft

    Destinations: Venus

    • Venera 7 Descent Craft · Lander · completed

      Destinations: Venus

Trajectory record

Trajectory dataset not yet available

No verified trajectory dataset is committed for this mission, so Mission Atlas renders no path.

Provenance

Sources

Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.

Data verified through August 23, 2026