# ESA to proceed alone on Venus Envision after NASA drops radar instrument

_Thursday, September 10, 2026 at 3:09 PM EDT · Science, Infrastructure · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![ESA to proceed alone on Venus Envision after NASA drops radar instrument — Primary](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Envision-1152x648-1789054779.jpg)

The European Space Agency is moving forward with its Envision Venus orbiter after NASA officials determined they were unlikely to provide a US-built synthetic aperture radar instrument promised under a 2024 memorandum of understanding, the mission's project scientist said.

Envision is designed to map the Venusian surface at 10 times the resolution of NASA's last Venus radar mission in the 1990s, searching for signs of active volcanism. NASA's science budget faces proposed cuts of nearly half for fiscal 2026 and 2027; Congress restored most planetary science funding but left a shortfall that is forcing NASA to scale back international partnerships.

## Sources

- [Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/09/europe-will-go-it-alone-on-venus-mission-after-nasa-yanks-radar-instrument/)

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