VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy): A Selected Discovery Mission

VERITAS was selected as a Discovery class mission on June 2, 2021. It is designed to understand Venus’ evolution through acquiring foundational, high resolution global datasets. A deep understanding of planetary habitability requires identifying key factors that govern the environment over time. Venus is the ultimate control case for studying how Earth developed and maintained conditions suited to life. Venus is very likely to have had elements essential to habitability [1,2] such as (past) surface water and even a dynamo. Tectonism and volcanism, with associated outgassing and driven by a robust internal energy budget, very likely persist today. Current interactions among the interior, surface, and atmosphere may include exchange of volatiles