The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has teased information about its mission to planet Venus.
The mission will 'explore the deep truths of Earth’s mysterious twin'.
The name of the mission is VERITAS, which is a short form for Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography & Spectroscopy.
According to a press release by NASA, the mission will focus on how "sister planets" have evolved so differently.
The mission will give "insights into our own planet's evolution and even help us better understand rocky planets orbiting other stars".
The press note further added that VERITAS is being considered for selection under NASA's Discovery Program and would be managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
It further added that the project will be conducted with the partnership of Lockheed Martin, the Italian Space Agency, the German Space Agency, and the French Space Agency.
Suzanne Smrekar, principal investigator of VERITAS at JPL, said "Venus is like this cosmic gift of an accident.
You have these two planetary bodies - Earth and Venus - that started out nearly the same but have gone down two completely different evolutionary paths, but we don't know why."
NASA’s last mission to Venus had ended in 1994. The mission named Magellan spacecraft had given "tantalizing clues about Venus' geology".
The mission failed to provide information behind the origin of the features of the planet.
VERITAS is expected for a 2026 launch.
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