Vega 1
Vega solar system probe bus and landing apparatus (model)
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| Names | Venera-Halley 1 |
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| Mission type | Planetary science including lander and atmospheric probe |
| Operator | Soviet Academy of Sciences |
| COSPAR ID | 1984-125A 1984-125E 1984-125F |
| SATCAT no. | 15432 15858 15859 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 5VK |
| Manufacturer | NPO Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | Spacecraft:4,920 kg (10,850 lb) Balloon:21.5 kg (47 lb) |
| Landing mass | 1,520 kg (3,350 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | December 15, 1984, 09:16:24 UTC |
| Rocket | Proton 8K82K |
| Launch site | Baikonur 200/39 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Semi-major axis | 6,558 kilometres (4,075 mi) |
| Eccentricity | 0.03080 |
| Perigee | 159 kilometres (99 mi) |
| Apogee | 202 kilometres (126 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.5° |
| Period | 88 minutes |
| Flyby of Venus | |
| Closest approach | June 11, 1985 |
| Distance | ~39,000 kilometres (24,000 mi) |
| Venus atmospheric probe | |
| Spacecraft component | Vega 1 Balloon |
| Atmospheric entry | 02:06:10, June 11, 1985 |
| Venus lander | |
| Spacecraft component | Vega 1 Decent Craft |
| Landing date | 03:02:54, June 11, 1985 |
| Landing site | 7°30′N 177°42′E / 7.5°N 177.7°E (north of Aphrodite Terra) |
| Flyby of Halley's Comet | |
| Closest approach | March 6, 1986 |
| Distance | ~10,000 km (6,200 mi) |
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Vega 1 (along with its twin Vega 2) is a Soviet space probe part of the Vega program. The spacecraft was a development of the earlier Venera craft. They were designed by Babakin Space Centre and constructed as 5VK by Lavochkin at Khimki.
The craft was powered by twin large solar panels and instruments included an antenna dish, cameras, spectrometer, infrared sounder, magnetometers (MISCHA), and plasma probes. The 4,920 kg craft was launched by a Proton 8K82K rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Tyuratam, Kazakh SSR. Both Vega 1 and 2 were three-axis stabilized spacecraft. The spacecraft were equipped with a dual bumper shield for dust protection from Halley's comet.
The descent module arrived at Venus on 11 June 1985, two days after being released from the Vega 1 flyby probe. The module, a 1500 kg, 240 cm diameter sphere, contained a surface lander and a balloon explorer. The flyby probe performed a gravitational assist maneuver using Venus, and continued its mission to intercept the comet.
The surface lander was identical to that of Vega 2 as well as the previous six Venera missions. The objective of the probe was the study of the atmosphere and the exposed surface of the planet. The scientific payload included a Ultraviolet spectrometer, temperature and pressure sensors, a water concentration meter, a gas-phase chromatograph, an X-ray spectrometer, a mass spectrometer, and a surface sampling device. Several of these scientific tools (the UV spectrometer, the mass spectrograph, and the devices to measure pressure and temperature) were developed in collaboration with French scientists.
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