High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Venera-D (Russian: Венера-Д) probe is a proposed Russian space probe to Venus, to be launched around 2016. Venera-D`s prime purpose is to make remote-sensing observations around the planet Venus in a manner similar to that of the U.S. Magellan spacecraft in the 1990s, but with the use of more powerful radar. Venera-D is also intended to map future landing sites. A lander, based on the Venera design, is also planned, capable of surviving for a long duration on the planet`s surface.