ORLANDO, Fla. – There is a new reason to be excited about a private robotic mission to Venus happening in just two years after a group of researchers found possible signs of microbial life on the very hot planet.This week an international group of astronomers, led by Professor Jane Greave with Cardiff University, published their findings of a rare molecule, phosphine, found in the clouds of Venus.
This discovery is very exciting because these molecules exist on Earth, too, and are produced by microbes that survive in oxygen-free environments or human-made.Private space company, Rocket Lab has had plans in the works to launch a spacecraft to Venus on its Electron rocket as soon as 2023.