China has announced an ambitious mission to sample Venus’s harsh atmosphere between 2028 and 2035, aiming to search for signs of microbial life and study the planet’s toxic clouds, extreme heat, and geological history.

Led by top Chinese space agencies, the mission will use two spacecraft—one to orbit Venus and another to dive into its atmosphere to collect gas and particle samples.

The effort could help explain how Venus evolved so differently from Earth and offer insights into the potential for life in extreme environments, the Daily Galaxy has reported.

Written by B.C. Begley