Venus hotter than ever: 3rd new robotic explorer on horizon

Venus is hotter than ever, with a third new robotic explorer on the horizon

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Venus is hotter than ever, with a third new robotic explorer on the horizon. A week after NASA announced two new missions to our closest neighbor, the European Space Agency said Thursday it will launch a Venus-orbiting spacecraft in the early 2030s. Named EnVision, the orbiter will attempt to explain why Venus is so “wildly different” from Earth, even though the two planets are similar in size and composition. NASA will provide EnVision's radar. NASA's own pair of upcoming missions to our solar system's hottest planet — called DaVinci Plus and Veritas — will be the first for the U.S. in more than 30 years. They'll blast off sometime around 2028 to 2030.