Venera 10 (Russian: Венера-10 meaning Venus 10), or 4V-1 No. 661,[4] was a Soviet uncrewed space mission to Venus. It consisted of an orbiter and a lander. It was launched on June 14, 1975, 03:00:31 UTC and had a mass of 5033 kg (11096 lb).[5]
![]() Venera 10 | |
Mission type | Venus orbiter / lander |
---|---|
Operator | Lavochkin |
COSPAR ID | |
SATCAT no. | |
Mission duration | Travel: 4 months and 9 days Orbiter: 144 days Lander: 65 minutes Last contact: 286 days |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | 4V-1 No. 661[3] |
Manufacturer | Lavochkin[3] |
Launch mass | 5,033 kg (11,096 lb)[3] |
BOL mass | 2,230 kg (4,920 lb) |
Landing mass | 1,560 kg (3,440 lb) |
Dimensions | 2.7 m × 2.3 m × 5.7 m (8.9 ft × 7.5 ft × 18.7 ft) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | June 14, 1975 (1975-06-14), 03:00:31 UTC[3] |
Rocket | Proton with upper and escape stages |
Launch site | Baikonur 81/24[3] |
End of mission | |
Last contact | "[Orbiter transmitted] data until at least June 1976."[3] |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Cytherocentric |
Eccentricity | 0.8798 |
Pericytherion altitude | 1,620 kilometers (1,010 mi) |
Apocytherion altitude | 113,900 kilometers (70,800 mi) |
Inclination | 29.5° |
Period | 49.4 hours |
Revolution no. | 71 |
Venus orbiter | |
Orbital insertion | October 23, 1975 |
Venus lander | |
Spacecraft component | Venera 10 descent craft |
Landing date | 02:17, October 25, 1975 |
Landing site | 15.42°N 291.51°E / 15.42; 291.51 (near Beta Regio) |
Venera |
When the mission launched, the Soviet Union only disclosed that the mission's objective was to explore Venus and the surrounding space. Western sources speculated that the spacecraft contained a lander.[6]
The orbiter entered Venus orbit on October 23, 1975. Its mission was to serve as a communications relay for the lander and to explore cloud layers and atmospheric parameters with several instruments and experiments:[7]
The orbiter consisted of a cylinder with two solar panel wings and a high gain parabolic antenna attached to the curved surface. A bell-shaped unit holding propulsion systems was attached to the bottom of the cylinder, and mounted on top was a 2.4 meter sphere which held the landers. To reach Venus, the spacecraft traveled in a heliocentric orbit from Earth to the planet with perihelion of 0.72 AU, apohelion of 1.02 AU, eccentricity of 0.17, inclination of 2.3 degrees and orbital period of 294 days.
On October 23, 1975, the lander separated from the orbiter, and touched down with the sun near zenith, at 05:17 UT, on October 25. A system of circulating fluid was used to distribute the heat load. This system, plus precooling prior to entry, permitted operation of the spacecraft for 65 minutes after landing. During descent, heat dissipation and deceleration were accomplished sequentially by protective hemispheric shells, three parachutes, a disk-shaped drag brake, and a compressible, metal, doughnut-shaped, landing cushion.[7]
It landed near the border area between Beta Regio and Hyndla Regio[8] (within a 150 km radius of 15.42°N 291.51°E / 15.42; 291.51), three days after the touchdown of, and 2200 km from Venera 9.[9] Venera 10 measured a surface windspeed of 3.5 m/s. Other measurements included atmospheric pressure at various heights, and temperature, and surface light levels. Venera 10 was the second probe to send back black and white television pictures from the Venusian surface (after Venera 9). Venera 10 photographs showed lava rocks of pancake shape with lava or other weathered rocks in between. Planned 360 degree panoramic pictures could not be taken because, as with Venera 9, one of two camera lens covers failed to come off, limiting pictures to 180 degrees.
The lander communicated with Earth using the Venera 10 orbiter as a communication relay.[10]
Lander Payload:[7]
Venera program | |
---|---|
Flybys | |
Orbiters | |
Descent probes | |
Landers | |
Failed launches |
|
Future missions |
|
Spacecraft missions to Venus | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Active missions |
| ||||||||||||
Past missions |
| ||||||||||||
Planned missions |
| ||||||||||||
Proposed missions |
| ||||||||||||
Cancelled / concepts |
| ||||||||||||
Program overviews |
| ||||||||||||
Related |
| ||||||||||||
|
← 1974 · Orbital launches in 1975 · 1976 → | |
---|---|
Soyuz 17 | Kosmos 702 | Kosmos 703 | Landsat 2 | Kosmos 704 | Kosmos 705 | Kosmos 706 | Kosmos 707 | Molniya-2-12 | Starlette | SMS-2 | Kosmos 708 | Kosmos 709 | Intelsat IV F-6 | Taiyo | Kosmos 710 | Kosmos 711 · Kosmos 712 · Kosmos 713 · Kosmos 714 · Kosmos 715 · Kosmos 716 · Kosmos 717 · Kosmos 718 | OPS 2439 | Kosmos 719 | Kosmos 720 | Kosmos 721 · Nauka-5KSA No.4 | Kosmos 722 | Interkosmos 13 | Meteor-M No.31 | Kosmos 723 | Soyuz 7K-T No.39 | Kosmos 724 | Kosmos 725 | GEOS-3 | Kosmos 726 | RM-20 | Molniya-3 No.12 | Kosmos 727 | Kosmos 728 | OPS 4883 | Aryabhata | Kosmos 729 | Kosmos 730 | Molniya-1-29 | Explorer 53 | Anik A3 | Polluz · Castor | OPS 9435 · OPS 9436 | Kosmos 731 · Nauka-9KS No.2 | Intelsat IV F-1 | OPS 6226 | Soyuz 18 | Kosmos 732 · Kosmos 733 · Kosmos 734 · Kosmos 735 · Kosmos 736 · Kosmos 737 · Kosmos 738 · Kosmos 739 | Kosmos 740 | Kosmos 741 | DS-U3-IK No.5 | Kosmos 742 | Molniya-1 No.24 · SRET-2 | Venera 9 | OPS 6381 · P-226-1 | Nimbus 6 | Kosmos 743 | Venera 10 | OPS 4966 | Kosmos 744 | OSO-8 | Kosmos 745 | Kosmos 746 | Kosmos 747 | Kosmos 748 | Kosmos 749 | Molniya-2-13 | Meteor-2 No.1 | Apollo-Soyuz | DM-2 | Kosmos 750 | Kosmos 751 | Kosmos 752 | Ji Shu Shiyan Weixing 1 | Kosmos 753 | Cos-B | Kosmos 754 | Kosmos 755 | Viking 1 | Kosmos 756 | Symphonie 2 | Kosmos 757 | Molniya-1-31 | Kosmos 758 | Molniya-2-14 | Kiku 1 | Viking 2 | Kosmos 759 | Kosmos 760 | Kosmos 761 · Kosmos 762 · Kosmos 763 · Kosmos 764 · Kosmos 765 · Kosmos 766 · Kosmos 767 · Kosmos 768 | Meteor-M No.28 | Kosmos 769 | Kosmos 770 | Kosmos 771 | Intelsat IVA F-1 | Aura | Kosmos 772 | Kosmos 773 | Kosmos 774 | Explorer 54 | Kosmos 775 | OPS 5499 | Triad 2 | E-8-5M No.412 | GOES 1 | Kosmos 776 | Kosmos 777 | Kosmos 778 | Kosmos 779 | Molniya-3 No.13 | Soyuz 20 | Explorer 55 | Kosmos 780 | Kosmos 781 | Kosmos 782 | Fanhui Shi Weixing 2 | Kosmos 783 | Kosmos 784 | OPS 4428 · OPS 5547 | DAD-A · DAD-B | Interkosmos 14 | Kosmos 785 | Satcom 1 | OPS 3165 | Ji Shu Shiyan Weixing 2 | Kosmos 786 | Molniya-2-15 | Unnamed | Prognoz 4 | Gran' No.11L | Meteor No.38 | Molniya-3 No.15 | |
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets). |