Project AETHER
A super-pressure balloon probe to the habitable cloud layer of Venus.
NEPHELIS.MCC · PHASE DESIGN · LAUNCH TARGET 2027-12-15
Why the Cloud Layer?
Between 50 and 60 kilometers above the surface of Venus lies a region with Earth-like temperatures (0–60°C) and pressure (~1 atm). This is the only place in the inner solar system, besides Earth itself, where humans could potentially live without extreme life support.
Mission Concept
AETHER will deploy a long-duration super-pressure balloon carrying a suite of instruments for atmospheric sampling, imaging, and in-situ analysis. The probe will float for weeks or months, providing unprecedented data on this unique environment.
Probe specs
- Type: Super-pressure balloon
- Altitude: 50–60 km
- Temperature: 0–60 °C
- Instruments: Atmospheric spectrometers, High-res cameras, Meteorological suite, Life detection experiments
- Wet mass class: ~400 kg · balloon ~6.6 m
Mass budget (summary)
| Element | Mass (kg) |
|---|---|
| Kick / transfer stage (wet) | 330–380 |
| Entry probe + balloon + gondola (dry stack) | 150–200 |
| Heatshield / blunt-body base | 50–60 |
| Fluoropolymer balloon + inflation | 35–45 |
| Gondola + sensor suite | 40–55 |
| Avionics, power, structure, comms | 25–35 |
Positive headroom vs 400 kg wet — acid protection, helium, redundancy
Mission control checklist
- in_progressMission requirements baseline signed (v0.9 draft in docs/)2026-Q3
- in_progressCONOPS v1 (v0.9 draft in docs/conops-v0.9.md)2026-Q3
- plannedPDR-lite: balloon + gondola ICD freeze2026-Q4
- plannedAcid / materials coupon campaign complete enough for fab decision2026-Q4
- plannedSensor suite baselined with mass/power/data numbers2026-Q4
- plannedComms architecture review (CubeSat relay / hybrid)2026-Q4
- plannedCDR-lite: drawings, BOMs, test plans2027-Q1
- planned50% of $500k goal committed2027-Q1
- plannedEnvironmental qualification campaign executed2027-Q2
- plannedSystem integration & inflation sequence tests pass2027-Q2
- plannedLaunch path LOI or rideshare reservation2027-Q2
- plannedFlight software freeze + ops playbook v12027-Q3
- plannedMission ops rehearsal complete2027-Q3
- plannedFlight stack accepted and shipped to launch site2027-Q3
- plannedLaunch + successful Venus transfer injection2027-Q4
- plannedSuccessful inflate + ≥30 days float with science downlink2028-Q1
Top open risks
- R-01 Acid degradation of balloon envelope
- R-02 Entry / inflation sequence failure
- R-03 Comms blackout / insufficient downlink
- R-04 Launch rideshare slip past 2027 window
- R-05 Crowdfund / partner capital shortfall
- R-06 Planetary protection / DNA tier regulatory delay
- R-07 Sensor mass growth eats float margin
- R-01 Acid degradation of balloon envelope (high/medium) — Multi-layer fluoropolymer; altitude selection; coupon protocol in docs/materials-coupon-test-protocol.md
- R-02 Entry / inflation sequence failure (critical/medium) — Redundant inflation path; extensive drop / vacuum tests; VEGA lessons
- R-03 Comms blackout / insufficient downlink (high/medium) — 3U CubeSat relay architecture; store-and-forward; power budget margin
- R-04 Launch rideshare slip past 2027 window (high/medium) — Multiple vehicle options; mass keeps rideshare-compatible; early LOI talks
- R-05 Crowdfund / partner capital shortfall (high/medium) — Stripe tiers live; sponsor outreach; in-kind hardware path
Full register in data · public roadmap at /roadmap.