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Mission record

Venera 8

Also known as Venus 8, Venera8

U.S.S.R · Launched

Explore trajectory

Completed · Success

One of a pair of Soviet Venus atmospheric lander probes designed for the spring 1972 launch window, whose objectives were to make a more sophisticated set of scientific measurements at the Venus surface, including studies of the Venus regolith. Its companion, Cosmos 482, failed to leave Earth orbit. The descent craft separated on 22 July 1972, entered the atmosphere on the sunlit side and landed, continuing to send back data for 63 minutes after landing before failing due to the harsh surface conditions. NSSDCA records that the first measurements of the surface regolith of Venus were returned, along with a profile of the cloud layer including detection of sulfuric acid.

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

  1. Launch

    Launched towards Venus

    All three pages print the launch as 27 March 1972 at 04:15:01 UT and agree to the second. The two pages disagree on the launch vehicle: Facts in Brief prints Modified SS-6 (Sapwood) with 2nd Generation Upper Stage + Escape Stage, while the descent craft page's own text says it launched on a Molniya-M with an NVL upper stage from Baikonur.

    Earth

  2. Milestone

    One mid-course correction on 6 April 1972

    Both pages record that the spacecraft took 117 days to reach Venus with one mid-course correction on 6 April 1972.

  3. Milestone

    Enters the atmosphere on the sunlit side at an angle of 77 degrees

    The master catalog records entry on the sunlit side at 08:37 UT at an angle of 77 degrees, in the same sentence that prints the date 22 July 1972. The two pages disagree on the distance from the morning terminator: the master catalog gives about 500 km and the descent craft page about 600 km. The main summary08:37 is an Earth reception-clock account. The component gives approximate08:33 for the end of aerodynamic braking. Neither is promoted here to an exact entry epoch.

    Venus

  4. Mission end

    Data returned for 63 minutes after landing

    Both pages record that it continued to send back data for 63 minutes after landing before failing due to the harsh surface conditions, and that the carrier bus transmitted data from its instruments until entering the atmosphere and incinerating. The two pages disagree on the surface pressure the probe confirmed: the master catalog gives 470 degrees C and 90 atmospheres, the descent craft page 470 degrees C and 95 bar. The current source gives63 minutes after landing while the later history gives50 minutes11 seconds. The final signal clock remains unresolved.

    Venus

  5. Deployment

    Descent craft separated

    The component source explicitly gives07:40 spacecraft UT. The previously displayed07:44 is the rounded Earth reception-time account; it is not the geometric separation epoch.

    Venus

  6. Landing

    Landed on the Venus dayside

    The component source explicitly identifies09:28:40 as spacecraft UT, Earth reception time minus3 minutes36 seconds. The landing region is approximate; this timestamp alone does not define a surveyed surface state.

    Venus

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • Venera 8 · Spacecraft

    Destinations: Venus

    • Venera 8 Descent Craft · Lander · completed

      Destinations: Venus

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.

J2000 · Sun-centered display · positions interpolated between source states

Coverage: July 23, 1972 to July 24, 1972

Source records and sampling assumptions are retained with the repository data. Model attitude and surface appearance are illustrative.

  • Venera 8 landed descent craft: Physically reconstructed based on publicly available data · 150 km landing-circle center estimate, post-landing only · July 23, 1972 to July 24, 1972

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