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Planetary Science

PIONEER VENUS ORBITER

DecayedPlanetary ScienceVenus

The Pioneer Venus Orbiter, also known as Pioneer Venus 1 or Pioneer 12, was a mission to Venus conducted by NASA as part of the Pioneer Venus project. Launched in May 1978 atop an Atlas-Centaur rocket, the spacecraft was inserted into an elliptical orbit around Venus on December 4, 1978. It returned data from Venus until October 1992.

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Launch

Launch date
May 20, 1978 at 01:13 PM UTC
Launch site
Cape Canaveral SFS, USA
Launched by
Atlas SLV-3D Centaur →
Operator
United States Air Force
Mission
Pioneer Venus Orbiter
Launch record
View full launch →

Trajectory

Regime
Interplanetary — Venus
Reference body
Venus

Identity

COSPAR (Int'l)
1978-051A
NORAD catalog №
10911
Object type
Payload
Owner / operator
United StatesUnited States
Status
Decayed
Decay / reentry
October 9, 1992

End of mission

Last active / ended
October 9, 1992
Time in service
14.4 years
Fate
Mission ended at Venus.
Final status
Decayed