
Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin announced that Russia is ending NASA’s participation in the long-delayed Venera D mission, which involves launching an orbiter and lander to Venus in 2029. Roscosmos tweeted: (Translated from Russian)
⚡ “In the context of the introduction of new and the preservation of previously imposed sanctions, I consider the continued participation of the United States in the Russian project for the development and creation of an interplanetary station #ВенераД [Venera-D] inappropriate,” said Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos.
Rogozin’s announcement was the latest move in response to U.S. sanctions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this week. Some of the sanctions have targeted the nation’s space industry, although NASA has said they would not impact cooperation on civilian space projects.
It was not immediately clear what impact the decision would have on the mission. There were significant discussions about NASA contributing instruments to the mission. However, in September 2020, Roscosmos announced that Venera-D would be “an independent national project without extensive involvement of international cooperation.”
Last June, NASA announced two missions to the planet: Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI+); and Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy (VERITAS).
The U.S.-based launch and satellite provider Rocket Lab is also working on a private mission to Venus that would deploy one or more probes into the planet’s thick atmosphere.