Among the other results, probes of the series became the first man-made devices to enter the atmosphere of another planet ( Venera 4 on October 18, 1967 ), to make a soft landing on another planet ( Venera 7 on December 15, 1970 ), to return images from the planetary surface ( Venera 9 on June 8, 1975 ), and to perform high-resolution radar mapping studies of Venus ( Venera 15 on June 2, 1983 ).

They included a transfer and relay bus that had engines to brake into Venus orbit ( Venera 9 and 10, 15 and 16 ) and to serve as receiver and relay for the entry probe's transmissions.

Venera 15 and 16 were similar to previous probes, but replaced the entry probes with surface imaging radar equipment.

For example, after analyzing the radar images returned from Venera 15 and 16, it was concluded that the ridges and grooves on the surface of Venus were the result of tectonic deformations.

** Venera 15

Venera 15 / 16

Venera 4V-2 () was a series of two identical spacecraft sent to Venus by the Soviet Union, consisting of Venera 15 and Venera 16.

Venera 15 was launched on June 2, 1983 at 02: 38: 39 UTC, and Venera 16 on June 7, 1983 at 02: 32: 00 UTC.

Venera 15 and Venera 16 both reached Venus ' orbit ( on October 10, 1983 and October 14, 1983 respectively ).

The Venera 15 and 16 spacecraft were identical and were based on modifications to the orbiter portions of the Venera 9 and Venera 14 probes.

Both Venera 15 and 16 were equipped with a Synthetic Aperture Radar ( SAR ).

* 1970 – Venera program: Venera 7 launched.

* 1970 – Soviet spacecraft Venera 7 successfully land on Venus.

* 1961 – U. S. S. R. launches Venera 1 towards Venus.

* 1967 – Venera program: Venera 4 is launched ( it will become the first space probe to enter another planet's atmosphere and successfully return data ).

* 1966 – Venera 3 Soviet space probe crashes on Venus becoming the first spacecraft to land on another planet's surface.

* 1969 – Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.

* 1969 – Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet spaceprobe, lands on Venus.

* 1965 – Venera program: the Soviet Union launches the Venera 3 space probe toward Venus, that will be the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another planet.

* 1975 – The Soviet unmanned space mission Venera 9 lands on Venus.

* January 5 – The Soviet Union launches Venera 5 toward Venus.

* May 16 – Venera program: Venera 5, a Soviet spaceprobe, lands on Venus.

* May 17 – Venera program: Soviet probe Venera 6 begins to descend into Venus ' atmosphere, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.

* February 12 – The U. S. S. R. launches Venera 1 towards Venus.

* May 19 – Venera 1 becomes the first man-made object to fly-by another planet by passing Venus ( however, the probe had lost contact with Earth a month earlier and does not send back any data ).

* August 17 – Venera program: Venera 7 is launched.

* November 16 – Venera program: The Soviet Union launches the Venera 3 space probe from Baikonur, Kazakhstan toward Venus ( on March 1, 1966 it became the first spacecraft to reach the surface of another planet ).

Venera 1 and Venera 2 were intended as fly-by probes to fly past Venus without entering orbit.

Venera 2 launched on November 12, 1965, but also suffered a telemetry failure after leaving Earth orbit.

* Venera 2 – 12 November 1965 – Venus flyby ( contact lost )

The Venus-1 Automatic Interplanetary Station, or Venera 1, was a 643. 5 kg probe consisting of a cylindrical body 1. 05 metres in diameter topped by a dome, totalling 2. 035 metres in height.

** Venera 2

The surface lander was identical to that of Vega 2 as well as the previous five Venera missions.

** Venera 2

Venera 15 was launched on June 2, 1983 at 02: 38: 39 UTC and reached Venus ' orbit on October 10, 1983.

nearly identical to the Venera 1 design, a cylindrical body about 2 meters high with two solar panel wings, a 2. 33 meter high-gain net antenna, and a long antenna arm, and had a mass of about 650 kg.

Phobos 1 and 2 were of a new spacecraft design, succeeding the type used in the Venera planetary missions of 1975 – 1985, last used during the Vega 1 and Vega 2 missions to comet Halley.

Venera 11 flight platform carried solar wind detectors, ionosphere electron instruments and two gamma ray burst detectors-the Soviet-built KONUS and the French-built SIGNE 2.

The SIGNE 2 detectors were simultaneously flown on Venera 12 and Prognoz 7 to allow triangulation of gamma ray sources.

Venera 12 flight platform carried solar wind detectors, ionosphere electron instruments and two gamma ray burst detectors-the Soviet-built KONUS and the French-built SIGNE 2.

The SIGNE 2 detectors were simultaneously flown on Venera 12 and Prognoz 7 to allow triangulation of gamma ray sources.

The landing was about 2, 200 km from the Venera 10 landing site.