Venus

Venus
Type	Planet
Mass	0.8 Earth Mass
Distance to Sun	0.72 AU
Orbital Period	0.58 years (7min)
Surface Gravity [m/s2]	8.87
Surface Area	460,000,000
Number of Moons	None
Satellites in Orbit	Possible
Outpost	Possible

Venus is the second planet from the Sun. Named after the Roman Goddess of beauty and love. Venus is roughly the same size as Earth; however it has an incredibly thick atmosphere making it the hottest of the inner planets. Its rotation is also opposite of Earth, rotating from East to West, and the surface is covered in volcanoes.

Exploration Rewards

Scanning Venus with a satellite for the first time will reward the player with 150 credits. However, it is usually best avoided until late in the game, so that it does not attract daily assignments.

As the largest rocky planet that can be explored, Venus has a powerful gravity well, which is very difficult for any lander to escape. Specifically, only a Black Hawk with at least level 25 Plasma Efficiency can make the return trip (although unmanned supply craft can still deliver cargo, and level 21 Plasma Efficiency is enough for a Black Hawk to make a one-way trip). As a result, despite its close proximity to Earth, Venus is often the last body to be successfully colonised.