The Venus Spectral Rocket (VeSpR) is a two-stage system, combining a Terrier missile - originally built as a surface-to-air missile and later re-purposed to support science missions - and a Black Brant model Mk1 sounding rocket with a telescope inside. Integration took place at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
The VeSpR missions is to probe the atmosphere of Venus. It will study Venus atmospheric loss. VeSpR will peek at Venus from above Earth's absorbing atmosphere.
The experiments will look at ultraviolet (UV) light that is being emitted from Venus' atmosphere, which can provide information about the history of the planet's water. Measurements like these cannot be done using Earth-based telescopes because our atmosphere absorbs most UV light before it reaches the ground.
