← ALL LANDERS
LANDING SITEBeta Regio slope
LAT31.01°
LON-68.36°
VENUS
Oct 22, 1975
LANDING DATE
1975
53 minutes on surface
MISSION DURATION
TOTAL
485 C (measured)
SURFACE TEMP
AT LANDING SITE
660
KG
MASS
8
INSTRUMENTS
SCIENTIFIC PAYLOAD
Venera 9 is a lander mission by NPO Lavochkin on Venus. Landed October 22, 1975. Landing site: Beta Regio slope.
ABOUT VENERA 9
Venera 9 returned the first photographs ever taken from the surface of another planet. Landing on a hillside in the Beta Regio volcanic region, its camera captured a landscape of sharp-edged volcanic rocks — surprising because scientists expected wind erosion to have rounded all surface features. The image showed the surface was well-lit, like an overcast day on Earth, despite Venus’s thick cloud cover. Venera 9 operated for 53 minutes before succumbing to the extreme heat.
KEY DISCOVERIES
- First images from Venus surface: sharp-edged rocks, little erosion
- Surface temperature: 485 C
- Surface pressure: 90 atm
- Light levels similar to overcast day on Earth
- Wind speed at surface: 0.4-0.7 m/s
TECHNOLOGY & FIRSTS
- First photographs from the surface of another planet
- First Venus orbiter (bus became orbiter)
- Designed to withstand 500 C and 100 atm
- Aerodynamic braking + parachute + shock absorber landing
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (8)
Panoramic camera (one of two operated)
Photometers
Temperature sensor
Pressure sensor
Anemometer
Spectrometer
Nephelometer
Gamma-ray densitometer
SPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS
Mass660 kg (1,455 lbs)
PowerBattery
CommunicationsRadio relay via Venera 9 orbiter
Design Life60 minutes on surface
Landing DateOctober 22, 1975
Mission EndOctober 22, 1975
ProgramVenera
SURFACE DATA
Surface Temperature485 C (measured)
Surface Pressure90 atm (measured)
OTHER VENUS LANDERS
🚀 LAUNCH MISSION