Launched in 1989, the Magellan spacecraft orbited Venus for four years, successfully mapping 98 percent of the planet's surface.

Among the NASA Mariner missions, Mariner 1, 2, 5 and 10 were sent to Venus (Mariner 1 was destroyed in a launch failure).

A very successful series of Soviet probes to Venus, the program ran from 1961 to 1983. The Venera series of missions had many firsts, including the first interplanetary broadcasts, the first probe to enter another planetary atmosphere, and the first soft landing on another planet.

The Venus Express spacecraft successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 03:33 UT on 9 November 2005 on a Soyuz-Fregat rocket. It will study Venus's complex dynamics and chemistry, and the interactions between the atmosphere and the surface, which will give clues about surface's characteristics. It will also study the interactions between the atmosphere and the interplanetary environment (solar wind) to better understand the evolution of the planet.