Venera 9
Artist's conception of Venera 9 landed on Venus
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| Mission type | Venus orbiter / lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | Lavochkin |
| COSPAR ID | 1975-050A |
| SATCAT № | 7915 |
| Mission duration | Orbiter: 200 days Lander: 53 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | 4V-1 No. 660 |
| Manufacturer | Lavochkin |
| Launch mass | 4,936 kg (10,882 lb) |
| Landing mass | 1,560 kg (3,440 lb) |
| Payload mass | 660 kg (1,455 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | June 8, 1975, 02:38:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Proton-K/D |
| Launch site | Baikonur 81/24 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | Orbiter: December 25, 1975 Lander: October 22, 1975 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Cytherocentric |
| Eccentricity | 0.89002 |
| Pericytherion | 7,625 km (4,738 mi) |
| Apocytherion | 118,072 km (73,367 mi) |
| Inclination | 29.5 degrees |
| Period | 48.3 hours |
| Venus orbiter | |
| Spacecraft component | Orbiter |
| Orbital insertion | October 20, 1975 |
| Venus lander | |
| Spacecraft component | Lander |
| Landing date | October 22, 1975, 05:13 UTC |
| Landing site | 31°01′N 291°38′E / 31.01°N 291.64°E |
 Seal of Venera 9 |
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Venera 9 (Russian: Венера-9 meaning Venus 9), manufacturer's designation: 4V-1 No. 660, was a Soviet unmanned space mission to Venus. It consisted of an orbiter and a lander. It was launched on June 8, 1975, at 02:38:00 UTC and had a mass of 4,936 kilograms (10,882 lb). The orbiter was the first spacecraft to orbit Venus, while the lander was the first to return images from the surface of another planet.
The orbiter consisted of a cylinder with two solar panel wings and a high gain parabolic antenna attached to the curved surface. A bell-shaped unit holding propulsion systems was attached to the bottom of the cylinder, and mounted on top was a 2.4-metre (7.9 ft) sphere which held the lander.
The orbiter entered Venus orbit on October 20, 1975. Its mission was to act as a communications relay for the lander and to explore cloud layers and atmospheric parameters with several instruments and experiments. It performed 17 survey missions from October 26, 1975 to December 25, 1975.
On October 20, 1975, the lander spacecraft separated from the orbiter, and landing was made with the Sun near zenith at 05:13 UTC on October 22. Venera 9 landed within a 150 km (93 mi) radius of 31°01′N 291°38′E / 31.01°N 291.64°E, near Beta Regio, on a steep (20°) slope covered with boulders (suspected to be the slope of the tectonic rift valley, Aikhylu Chasma). The entry sphere weighed 1,560 kg (3,440 lb) and the surface payload was 660 kg (1,455 lb).
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