Things are finally looking up for NASA's first missions to Venus in a generation

Key points

• NASA's DAVINCI probe is now scheduled to launch to Venus in December 2030, a year earlier than previously planned. The probe will descend through the planet's atmosphere and return the first direct images of its surface since 1982.
• A second NASA mission, VERITAS, is now funded with a launch date of November 2032 to map Venus's surface by radar from orbit.
• Both missions were helped by budget changes, including NASA pulling out of a partnership with Europe on the Envision orbiter.