EnVision timeline

What comes next:
   
Q3 2025 - Q1 2026 Envision instrument Preliminary Design Review (iPDR)
Q1 2026 Envision Mission System Requirements Review (M-SRR)
Q2 2026 Envision Spacecraft Preliminary Design Review (S/C PDR)
2028 Envision Science Workshop
December 2031 Envision baseline launch date
Q1 2032 – Q2 2033 Envision Cruise Phase (15 months)
Q2 2033 – Q2 2034 Envision Aerobraking Phase (11 months)
Q2 2034 Start of Envision instrument commissioning phase (2 months) and Science Operations Phase (4 years, 6 Venus cycles)
   
   
Milestones so far:
July 2025 Envision Spacecraft System Requirements Review (SRR) successfully completed
December 2024 ESA selected Thales Alenia Space as the Envision spacecraft prime contractor
Q1 2024 ESA and NASA signature of the Memorandum of Understanding for the NASA participation to Envision
January 2024 Envision Mission Adoption and presentation of the mission “Red Book”, start of the mission implementation Phase B2/C/D.
October 2023 ESA SPC approval of Multilateral Agreement (MLA) concerning the EnVision mission
May 2023 Envision International Venus Science Workshop, Berlin, Germany
May 2021 Envision Mission Selection and presentation of the mission “Yellow Book”, start of the mission definition Phase B1.
February 2020 Envision Conference, Paris, France
2019 Start of the Envision feasibility phase (phase A). NASA mission contribution gets established (VenSAR instrument and DSN support for critical phases)
May-November 2018 Envision, Theseus and SPICA were recommended for Phase 0 study in the ESA Concurrent Design Facility (CDF). The study was concluded in November 2018.
2016 The Envision proposal was submitted to ESA’s 5th M-class call.


​​​​​​​Envision timeline from launch to the Science Operations Phase at Venus (last updated December 2025).