Extraterrestrial

New mission to Venus aims to hunt down alien life in the planet's clouds

By T.K. Randall
July 11, 2025

Image: Global View of the Surface of Venus (1991)
Credit: (PD) NASA/JPL With surface temperatures exceeding 450 degrees Celsius and crushing atmospheric pressures that are more than 100 times those found on our own planet, the conditions on Venus are undeniably hellish.

But while the likelihood of finding signs of life on its surface remains low, scientists have long speculated that primitive life forms could potentially eke out an existence high up in the clouds.

This is backed up by the detection of phosphine and ammonia on Venus within the last five years.

"Our latest data has found more evidence of ammonia on Venus, with the potential for it to exist in the habitable parts of the planet's clouds," said University of Cardiff astronomer Jane Greaves."There are no known chemical processes for the production of either ammonia or phosphine, so the only way to know for sure what is responsible for them is to go there."

Now in a renewed bid to determine once and for all if there really is life on Venus, Greaves and her colleagues have proposed sending a spacecraft to the planet to search for phosphine, ammonia and other hydrogen-rich gases indicative of microbial life.

The mission, known as the Venus Explorer for Reduced Vapors in the Environment (VERVE), will take the form of a cubesat that will hitch a ride with ESA's upcoming EnVision mission in 2031.

Once the spacecraft arrives, VERVE will detach and begin its own detailed atmospheric survey.

If it actually finds something, it would be the first concrete evidence of extraterrestrial life ever found.

Source: Gizmodo

Tags: Venus