Venus probe gets new launch date

Published: Oct 31, 2005
Source: news.bbc.co.uk



Venus Express, the European probe that will explore the second planet from the Sun, has been given a new launch date.

The craft will now launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 9 November, the Russian space agency has said.

Lift off aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket was set for 26 October, but the launch was postponed after insulation was found to have contaminated the probe.

The mission aims to investigate Venus' harsh climate, thought to be the result of runaway greenhouse warming.

The launch was postponed on Friday 21 October when particles of contaminating material were discovered inside the rocket.continue..