Today the European Space Agency has officially approved the adoption of EnVision that thus will proceed to the next stage of development. Being adopted means that the study phase is complete and ESA commits to implementing the mission. This important milestone paves the way for the mission’s planned launch in 2031, marking a key step in exploring the mysteries of the planet Venus. The EnVision mission was selected by ESA’s Science Programme Committee on 10 June 2021 as the fifth medium-class mission in the Agency’s Cosmic Vision plan.

RSLab plays a key role in the mission, with Prof. Lorenzo Bruzzone serving as Principal Investigator for SRS (Subsurface Radar Sounder). SRS is a radar sounder designed to explore the first hundreds meters below the Venusian crust uncovering subsurface geology and surface properties. SRS is the first radar sounder involved in a mission to Venus. It will provide insights into the origin of several unusual Venus geological features such as pancake domes and complex ridged terrains (tesserae), and analyze stratigraphy, volcanic features and burried craters. Moreover, the instruments has also the capability to detect possible presence of lightning in the Venus atmosphere, events that could be associated to the presence of volcanic eruptions.

Below some samples from the coverage of the national, international and local media.