Magellan

Magellan, U.S. spacecraft that from 1990 to 1994 used radar to create a high-resolution map of the surface of Venus.

The Magellan spacecraft was launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration from the space shuttle Atlantis on May 4, 1989. The primary spacecraft instrument was a synthetic aperture radar that could obtain images of the Venusian surface through the clouds that permanently surround the planet. Magellan arrived at Venus on August 10, 1990, and was placed in an orbit over the planet’s poles so that, as the planet rotated, the spacecraft could obtain images of almost all of its surface. There were three eight-month mapping cycles between 1990 and 1992; Magellan mapped 98 percent of the planet’s surface with a resolution of 100 metres (330 feet) or better.

The radar images showed that most of the surface was covered by volcanic materials, that there were few impact craters (suggesting that the surface is relatively young geologically), and that there was no evidence of plate tectonic activity or water erosion, although there was some evidence of wind erosion. The Magellan mission also determined the topography of the Venusian surface, measured the Venusian gravity field, and provided suggestive evidence that the planet’s interior differs in major ways from Earth’s interior. Later analysis of Magellan images in 2023 found the first direct evidence of active volcanism on the planet. Comparison of images taken eight months apart in 1991 of a volcanic vent showed changes that were most likely caused by an eruption.

On October 12, 1994, Magellan was sent to a crash landing on Venus.