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Which Venera spacecraft made the first successful soft landing on another planet?
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Venus
Venus photographed in ultraviolet light by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (Pioneer 12) spacecraft, February 26, 1979. Although Venus's cloud cover is nearly featureless in visible light, ultraviolet imaging reveals distinctive structure and pattern, including global-scale V-shaped bands that open toward the west (left). Added color in the image emulates Venus's yellow-white appearance to the eye.
The Venera 7 spacecraft, launched by the Soviet Union on August 17, 1970, achieved the first successful soft landing on another planet when it touched down on Venus on December 15, 1970.12
While earlier missions like Venera 3 had reached the surface, they were crash landings rather than controlled soft landings. Venera 7 successfully transmitted data from the surface for 23 minutes, marking a significant milestone in space exploration.12