Venera space probe. Person looking at a 1980s Venera probe in the configuration in which it reached the orbit of Venus. The Venera series of probes were developed between 1961 and 1984 by the Soviet Union to explore the planet Venus. Each spacecraft was made up of two modules. The upper descent module (brown), containing the lander, detaches from the lower section (white), which remains in orbit. The descent module then enters Venus' atmosphere and protects the lander until it reaches the surface. Each lander carried instruments to take scientific measurements of the ground and atmosphere, and sent the information back to the orbiting module.