Venus' South Pole (UV)

In the 1st capture orbit, Venus Express will have 5 more opportunities for gathering data until reaching pericentre. These observations represent a great opportunity because, at apocentre, the full disc of Venus is fully visible for the spacecraft’s imagers. Such opportunities will not occur again during the nominal mission, starting on June, 4, 2006, when the range of distances from the Planet will be much smaller. In addition to VMC and VIRTIS, the spacecraft’s MAG (Venus Express Magnetometer) has been switched on for initial verification and is operating nominally. Together with the ASPERA (Analyser of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms), the 2 instruments are expected to gather information about the unperturbed solar wind and the atmospheric escape processes on Venus, a Planet with no magnetic protection.
A series of further engine and thruster burns are planned to gradually reduce the apocentre during the following 16 orbital loops around the planet and the spacecraft is due to attain its final 24-hour polar orbit on 7 May, ranging from 66 000 to 250 kilometres above Venus.