In May 1989, NASA launched its Magellan mission to Venus with the goal of mapping the entire surface of the planet using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and measuring the planet’s magnetic field. Magellan would prove to be a very successful mission that met many of its scientific goals, including producing the most detailed map of Venus’ surface to date. The mission would ultimately end when the spacecraft performed a controlled entry into Venus’ atmosphere in October 1994.
Magellan was so successful, in fact, that its data is still being used to make new discoveries on Venus’ surface. In 2023, Magellan data revealed what appeared to be an active volcano on the Venusian surface, and, now, new data analysis has revealed two more volcanoes that were actively erupting on the surface in the 1990s when Magellan was active around Venus. This is only the second time that direct geological evidence for ongoing volcanic activity on Venus’ surface has been discovered, with scientists confirming the volcanic activity from the presence of new rock created from lava spewed by the volcanoes in the 90s.