ESA's Venus Express launched from Baikonur on 9 November 2005 and coasted sunward for 153 days before firing its engine to enter orbit around Venus. The scenario starts at interplanetary injection: the probe departs just ahead of Earth on an inward Hohmann-style arc while Venus waits on the opposite side of the Sun. The coast lasts about 128 days before the spacecraft intercepts Venus — a direct transfer requiring precise timing so both planets arrive at the rendezvous point simultaneously. Venus Express studied the planet's thick CO₂ atmosphere, polar vortex, and possible volcanic activity until fuel depletion ended the mission in 2014.