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European spacecraft locked into final orbit around Venus
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    • PARIS, May 9 (AFP) May 09, 2006
     The European probe, Venus Express, has been slotted into final orbit around Venus, the European Space Agency (ESA) said on Tuesday, adding that the craft's scientific mission would start on June 4 after its instruments hade been tested.

    Venus Express, ESA's first dedicated mission to Earth's closest neighbour, is now swinging around the planet in an elliptical orbit ranging from 250 kilometres (156 miles) to 66,000 kms (41,250 miles) around its poles, the Paris-based agency said in a press release.

    The probe was "captured" by Venusian gravity on April 11 after a 400-million-kilometre (250-million-mile) trip.

    It spent the following weeks gradually manoeuvering into an orbit designed to make best use of its seven-instrument payload.

    Venus is scheduled to spend 486 Earth days studying the planet's hot, dense atmosphere, which could hold clues about runaway global warming.




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