Project AETHER
A super-pressure balloon probe to the habitable cloud layer of Venus.
NEPHELIS.MCC · PHASE PRE-HARDWARE · LAUNCH TARGET uncommitted — earliest class ~2030–2031+ if gates pass
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_progressGitHub ehreng/Nephelis as single source of truth with open L1–L3 issues2026-Q3
- in_progressKeep /status and progress.json current with built vs not-yet2026-Q3
- in_progressMission requirements baseline (v0.9 draft exists — keep honest about incompleteness)2026-Q4
- plannedCONOPS updated for ground-first program (flight dates aspirational)2026-Q4
- plannedAcid / materials coupon campaign started (first coupons + log photos)2027-H1
- plannedSmall helium ground float prototype with basic telemetry2027
- in_progressRegulatory path notes (FAA/FCC/export) drafted publicly2026-Q4
- plannedLive payment rails OR honest “not open yet” state (no fake allocation)2026-Q4
- planned50% of $500k ground-campaign goal committed (if fundraising opens)2027+
- plannedFlight program gate: only after ground demonstrator success + credible capital plan2028+
Top open risks
- R-01 Acid degradation of balloon envelope
- R-02 Entry / inflation sequence failure
- R-03 Comms blackout / insufficient downlink
- R-04 No committed launch path; schedule risk is structural
- R-05 Capital shortfall vs flight-class cost
- 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 No committed launch path; schedule risk is structural (high/high) — Gate flight talk on ground demonstrator success; explore rideshare after hardware gates; plan for 2030s-class transfer windows
- R-05 Capital shortfall vs flight-class cost (high/high) — $500k framed as ground/prototype campaign only; Stripe not yet live; partner in-kind; honest fundraising copy
Full register in data · public roadmap at /roadmap.