Russia has included the search for life in the Universe among the priority goals of its space program. This explains the renewed interest in Venus—a planet that Soviet scientists once referred to as “Russian.” This was stated in an interview with 360.ru by Igor Marinin, an academician of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics named after K. E. Tsiolkovsky and a member of the Roscosmos public council.

According to the scientist, in recent years astronomers have learned to detect planets around nearby stars and study their conditions, such as the presence of water, Earth-like temperatures, and other parameters. To date, about six such potentially habitable worlds are known, and scientists around the world are actively searching for signs of life on them.

Why Venus

Venus was long considered a “Russian planet” because the first successful missions to it were carried out by Soviet spacecraft of the Venera series. These missions operated under extreme conditions: surface temperatures of around 500°C and pressures of about 100 atmospheres.

Igor Marinin emphasized that no foreign spacecraft had operated under such conditions.

This makes continued research particularly compelling for Russia. The country has accumulated unique experience, and a comprehensive program to study Venus is now being prepared. Its implementation is planned for the early 2030s.

What the New Mission Will Include

The program includes the creation of an automated station, deployment of mobile robots on the surface to collect and transmit data, and the launch of balloon probes to study the atmosphere. Special attention will be given to the upper layers of Venus’s atmosphere, where conditions are significantly milder than on the scorching surface.

The academician noted that in the cloud layer, temperature and pressure are closer to those on Earth, so the presence of life there cannot be ruled out—possibly in a primitive, microbial form rather than intelligent life.

Venera-D: The Key Project

The main instrument of research will be the Venera-D mission (“Venera-Dolgozhivushchaya,” or “Long-Lived Venus”)—an advanced successor to the Soviet spacecraft. The station will include an orbiter, a lander, and balloon probes.

Conceptual design work is currently underway or expected to begin in 2026 as part of a national space exploration project. The launch is planned for after 2030 (variously estimated between 2031 and 2036). A dedicated CubeSat relay, developed at the Moscow Aviation Institute and modeled after the American Mars CubeSat, is being designed to communicate with the spacecraft.

The primary scientific goal is not only to study the planet’s geology, atmosphere, and surface, but also to search for biomarkers of primitive life both in the clouds and, theoretically, on the surface.

In Brief

Russia views the search for life in the Universe as a strategic objective of its space program. Venus has been chosen as a priority due to the rich Soviet legacy and the relatively “mild” conditions in its atmosphere, where microbial life could theoretically exist. As part of the Venera-D mission, expected to launch in the 2030s, an orbiter, a lander with robotic systems, and balloon probes are planned. This mission aims to continue the exploration of the “Russian planet” and help answer a fundamental question: are we alone in the Universe?