Venera 9: Launched June 8, 1975. The Venera 9 and 10 spacecraft were redesigned after Veneras 6 and 7 in order to survive longer on the Venusian surface. Both of these Venera missions included both an orbiter and an atmospheric entry capsule. Venera 9 thus holds the honor of being the first Venus orbiter as well as recording the first image the surface. After a 75 minute descent through the atmosphere, the Venera 9 probe landed on Beta Regio and transmitted data for 53 minutes. It returned one panoramic view of the surface. The orbiter continued to function until March 22, 1976. Venera 10: Launched June 14, 1975. This Venus probe was designed exactly like Venera 9. The Venera 10 lander set down 2200 km away from the Venera 9 probe. Its single panorama revealed an older landscape than Beta Regio.
