The 1.3-m-diameter primary High Gain Antenna for communications (on the front side) is not visible but the smaller 30-cm-diameter secondary High Gain Antenna is visible on top of the spacecraft, pointing backward. Also visible are the two startrackers and the specially designed solar arrays, which feature lines of radiators disposed between lines of solar cells to radiate excess heat while operating in a highly demanding thermal environment around Venus.

Venus Express is ESA's first mission to Earth's nearest planetary neighbour, Venus. The mission was born after ESA asked for proposals, in March 2001, suggesting how to reuse the design of the Mars Express spacecraft.

Built by an industrial team led by EADS Astrium, the 1,270-kg spacecraft was launched from Baikonur atop a Soyuz-Fregat vehicle on November 9, 2005 and will arrive around the planet in April 2006. Once in Venusian orbit, the probe will manoeuvre toward an elliptical polar orbit. At its closest, it will reach an altitude of 250 kilometres and at its furthest, it will be 66 000 kilometres away from the planet. The mission is due to last for two Venusian days, i.e. about 500 Earth days.

The probe's payload comprises a combination of spectrometers, spectro-imagers and imagers covering a wavelength range from ultraviolet to thermal infrared, a plasma analyser and a magnetometer to study the atmosphere, the plasma environment and the surface of Venus in great detail. Most of the instruments are re-using designs or even spare hardware from the Mars Express and Rosetta programmes. As the platform, they have been adapted to cope with the thermal and radiation environment in Venus orbit.