Vega 1

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Vega 1

Vega Solar System probe bus and landing apparatus (model)
Names	Venera-Halley 1
Mission type	Planetary science including lander and atmospheric probe
Operator	Soviet Academy of Sciences
COSPAR ID	1984-125A 1984-125E 1984-125F
SATCAT no.	15432 15858 15859
Mission duration	Balloon: 2 days Orbiter: 2 years, 1 month and 15 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	5VK No. 901
Spacecraft type	5VK
Manufacturer	NPO Lavochkin
Launch mass	4,840 kilograms (10,670 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date	December 15, 1984 (1984-12-15), 09:16:24 UTC[1]
Rocket	Proton 8K82K
Launch site	Baikonur 200/39
End of mission
Last contact	30 January 1987[2]
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Semi-major axis	6,558 kilometres (4,075 mi)
Eccentricity	0.03080
Perigee altitude	159 kilometres (99 mi)
Apogee altitude	202 kilometres (126 mi)
Inclination	51.5°
Period	88 minutes
Flyby of Venus
Closest approach	11 June 1985
Distance	~39,000 kilometres (24,000 mi)
Venus atmospheric probe
Spacecraft component	Vega 1 Balloon
Atmospheric entry	02:06:10, 11 June 1985
Venus lander
Spacecraft component	Vega 1 Descent Craft
Landing date	03:02:54, 11 June 1985
Landing site	7°30′N 177°42′E / 7.5°N 177.7°E / 7.5; 177.7 (Vega 1) (north of Aphrodite Terra)
Flyby of 1P/Halley
Closest approach	6 March 1986
Distance	~10,000 km (6,200 mi)
Insignia of the mission Vega ← None Vega 2 →

Vega 1 (along with its twin Vega 2) was a Soviet space probe, part of the Vega program. The spacecraft was a development of the earlier Venera craft. They were designed by Babakin Space Centre and constructed as 5VK by Lavochkin at Khimki. The name VeGa (ВеГа) combines the first two letters from the Russian words for Venus (Венера: "Venera") and Halley (Галлея: "Galleya").

The craft was powered by twin large solar panels and instruments included an antenna dish, cameras, spectrometer, infrared sounder, magnetometers (MISCHA), and plasma probes. The 4,840 kilograms (10,670 lb) craft was launched by a Proton 8K82K rocket 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^[3] for dust protection from Halley's comet.