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
- 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
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.
EarthMilestone
Cruise course correction
The inspected spacecraft record dates this actual correction; no maneuver vector is supplied.
SunMilestone
Cruise course correction
The inspected spacecraft record dates this actual correction; no maneuver vector is supplied.
SunMilestone
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.
VenusMission 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.
VenusMilestone
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". The component source explicitly gives spacecraft time, equal to Earth reception time minus3 minutes22 seconds; this clock convention is preserved.
VenusDeployment
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. The component source explicitly gives spacecraft time, equal to Earth reception time minus3 minutes22 seconds; this clock convention is preserved.
VenusMilestone
Reefed parachute opens fully, slowing descent from 27 to 19 m/s
The component source explicitly gives spacecraft time, equal to Earth reception time minus3 minutes22 seconds; this clock convention is preserved.
VenusMilestone
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. The component source explicitly gives spacecraft time, equal to Earth reception time minus3 minutes22 seconds; this clock convention is preserved.
VenusLanding
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". The component source explicitly gives spacecraft time, equal to Earth reception time minus3 minutes22 seconds; this clock convention is preserved.
VenusLoss 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. The component source explicitly gives spacecraft time, equal to Earth reception time minus3 minutes22 seconds; this clock convention is preserved.
Venus
Mission architecture
Vehicles
Trajectory record
Time-dependent navigation trajectory
Source states place the model at the selected time. Reconstructed flight, estimates, predictions and historical mission plans are identified by interval; gaps remain visible.
Source records and sampling assumptions are retained with the repository data. Model attitude and surface appearance are illustrative.
- Venera 7 approximate landed capsule: Physically reconstructed based on publicly available data · preliminary 105 km landing-circle center, signal interval only · December 15, 1970 to December 15, 1970
Provenance
Sources
Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.
Data verified through September 14, 2026
- Venera 7 - NASA NSSDCA Spacecraft Details (1970-060A) — NSSDCAArchive · Supports: mission claims · event claims
- Venera 7 Descent Craft - NASA NSSDCA Spacecraft Details (1970-060D) — NSSDCAArchive · Supports: mission claims · event claims
- Venera 7 - NSSDCA Launch/Orbital Information (1970-060A) — NSSDCAArchive · Supports: mission claims · event claims
- Deep Space Robotic Firsts - NASA Science — NASAOther · Supports: mission claims · event claims
- Venus Exploration - NASA Science (All Missions to Venus) — NASAOther · Supports: mission claims
- Venera 7: spacecraft, orbit and data products reviewed September2026 — NSSDCAMission page · Supports: mission claims · event claims
- Venera 7 Descent Craft: spacecraft, orbit and data products reviewed September2026 — NSSDCAMission page · Supports: mission claims · event claims
- Siddiqi (2018): Beyond Earth, a chronicle of deep space exploration 1958–2016 — NASAMission page · Supports: mission claims · event claims
- Planet Sizes and Locations in Our Solar System — NASAOther · Supports: destination/body context
- Our Sun: Facts — NASAOther · Supports: destination/body context