{"id":6,"date":"2018-11-26T12:45:27","date_gmt":"2018-11-26T12:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leviathanexplorations.com\/home-2\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T10:52:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T18:52:14","slug":"home-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/leviathanexplorations.com\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Leviathan: A Starship-based Venus Aerobot for Low-altitude and Surface Explorations<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA NIAC Proposal (DRAFT Pdf)
November 2025<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLeviathan Venus Explorer White Paper (pdf)
Version 10.5 - November 2025<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Leviathan Venus Explorer is a long-lived 30-ton nuclear-powered stainless-steel methane-filled balloon with operational altitudes from -2 km to 4 km capable of landing and taking off almost anywhere while circumnavigating Venus during its one-year mission<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Leviathan Mission Animation  ( be sure to maximize the quality setting )<\/i><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Introduction<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Over the years numerous missions have been proposed to explore the lower altitudes and surface of Venus; however, due to the unforgiving environment, mission designs have been exceedingly limited in mass, duration, and power thus severely restricting scientific return. The Leviathan is a next-generation lander and near-surface explorer that can revolutionize our approach to exploring Venus. The Leviathan\u2019s Flagship-level mission, possible during the next decadal survey, is to explore Venus\u2019 interior, surface and near-surface environments in unprecedented details.<\/b><\/span><\/p>

The Leviathan Venus Explorer is a long-lived 30-ton nuclear-powered stainless-steel methane-filled aerobot with operational altitudes from -2 km to 4 km capable of landing and taking off almost anywhere while circumnavigating Venus during its one-year mission.<\/b><\/p>

Long-lived complex surface operations require active cooling for critical systems and instruments. Active cooling requires a generous power supply. A generous power supply that works on the surface of Venus requires a nuclear fission power system. A nuclear fission power system requires a large lander. With such an investment, it would be desirable to relocate to as many landing sites across Venus as possible. The Leviathan Venus Explorer meets all of these requirements.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Background<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Venus surface temperatures up to 485 C and pressures up to 109 bars can be expected at the lowest altitudes.\u00a0 Altitudes range from -2.9 km at the rift valley Diana Chasma to the 10.8 km summit of Maxwell Montes as measured from the average surface elevation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Atmospheric haze, clouds, and sulfuric acid mists start above 30 km.\u00a0 Due to its slow rotation, the diurnal cycle of Venus is 117 Earth days.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

For past missions, surface probes and landers have had a limited lifespan of less than two hours due to a lack of active cooling of the electronics.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Extended surface operations using standard electronics has been considered all but impossible.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Mission Summary<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Leviathan aerobot\u2019s mission is to explore Venus\u2019 interior, surface and near-surface environment in unprecedented detail encompassing mineralogy, morphology, meteorology, seismology, and geological processes with a full suite of instruments.\u00a0 The Leviathan aerobot provides the time, mobility, and capability to investigate numerous sites across the planet.<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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For a rigid superpressure balloon mission the larger the tank size the greater the payload capacity and the potential for more scientific return.\u00a0 In this mission a section of Starship itself is used as the tank.\u00a0 This mission would be delivered by a customized SpaceX Starship on a one-way journey.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

This mission is designed to take maximum advantage of standard Starship components allowing development costs to focus on Aerobot control systems and instrument packages.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>

An internal bladder is used to provide variable altitude control similar to what is used by Alphabet\u2019s (GoogleX\u2019s) Project Loon.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>As the bladder is inflated with denser CO<\/span>2<\/sub> air, the methane is compressed and the lifting force is reduced thus causing the aerobot to reduce its altitude. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>This system allows the aerobot to control its altitude and land and take off again at will.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Power is provided by a self-regulating 3-ton 10-kWe Fission Surface Power reactor located in the methane volume providing power for heat pumps, batteries, and electronics. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Liquid methane is transported in an external cryogenic drop tank.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>About 18,000 kg <\/span>of methane is required for the mission.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Please use the link at the top of the page
to view the white paper of the proposal<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Leviathan Venus Explorer<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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