Vega 2

Vega 2

A replica of the Vega spacecraft displayed at the Udvar-Hazy Center, Virginia, USA
Names	Venera–Halley 2
Mission type	Venus/Halley exploration
Operator	Soviet space program
COSPAR ID	1984-128A 1984-128E 1984-128F
SATCAT no.	15449 15856 15857
Mission duration	Lander: 56 minutes Balloon: 2 days Flyby: 2 years, 3 months and 3 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	5VK No. 902
Spacecraft type	5VK
Manufacturer	NPO Lavochkin
Launch mass	4,840 kg (10,670 lb)[1]
Landing mass	1,520 kg (3,350 lb)
Dimensions	2.7 m × 2.3 m × 5.7 m (8.9 ft × 7.5 ft × 18.7 ft) (lander)
Start of mission
Launch date	December 21, 1984 (1984-12-21), 09:13:52 UTC[1]
Rocket	Proton-K/D
Launch site	Baikonur 200/40
Contractor	Khrunichev
End of mission
Last contact	March 24, 1987[1]
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Heliocentric
Eccentricity	0.17
Perihelion altitude	0.70 AU
Aphelion altitude	0.98 AU
Inclination	51.5°
Period	281 days
Flyby of Venus
Closest approach	June 15, 1985
Distance	24,500 km (15,200 mi)
Venus atmospheric probe
Spacecraft component	Vega 2 Balloon
Atmospheric entry	02:06:04, June 15, 1985
Venus lander
Spacecraft component	Vega 2 Lander
Landing date	03:00:50, June 15, 1985
Landing site	8°30′S 164°30′E / 8.5°S 164.5°E / -8.5; 164.5 (Vega 2)
Flyby of 1P/Halley
Closest approach	March 9, 1986
Distance	~8,030 km (4,990 mi)
Halley Armada ← Vega 1 Sakigake → Vega program

Vega 2 (along with Vega 1) was a Soviet space probe part of the Vega program to explore Halley's comet and Venus. The spacecraft was a development of the earlier Venera craft. The name VeGa (ВеГа) combines the first two letters Russian words for Venus (Венера: "Venera") and Halley (Галлея: "Galleya"). They were designed by Babakin Space Centre and constructed as 5VK by Lavochkin at Khimki. The craft was powered by large twin solar panels. Instruments included an antenna dish, cameras, spectrometer, infrared sounder, magnetometers (MISCHA) and plasma probes. The 4,840 kilograms (10,670 lb) craft was launched on top of a Proton-K from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Tyuratam, Kazakh SSR. Both Vega 1 and 2 were three-axis stabilized spacecraft. The spacecraft were equipped with a dual bumper shield for dust protection from Halley's Comet.