The EVE program would incorporate a Russian Venus exploration project called Venera-D, which is part of the Russian Federal Space Program, 2006-15.
The central goal of the EVE mission, proposed for launch in 2016-18, is to investigate the evolution of Venus and its climate, to get a deeper understanding of the 'life cycle' of Earth-like planets everywhere.
"The baseline EVE mission consists of one balloon platform floating at an altitude of 50-60 km, one descent probe provided by Russia, and an orbiter with a polar orbit which will perform science observations as well as relay data from the balloon and descent probe," a forum document said.
The EVE mission, comprising one spacecraft delivering probes to Venus, will be launched by a Soyuz Fregat 2-1b from Kourou space center, in French Guiana.
The science team for the proposed mission includes more than 150 scientists from across Europe, as well as from Russia, USA, Canada, and Japan.
Russia will participate at all levels in this mission, with major science and payload contributions at every platform. Russia will also provide the descent probe, and will provide a Soyuz launcher jointly with ESA to meet the Kourou element of the launch costs, as well as constructing the entry/descent systems for both balloon and descent probe.
Japan is considering the provision of a small balloon for low altitude studies. U.S. participation is also envisaged, with widespread science team involvement and at least one NASA-led instrument.
