Vega missions
Vega 1 and 2 were Soviet spacecraft that visited Venus and then flew past Halley's Comet in March 1986.
The Vega missions were two Soviet spacecraft, launched in December 1984 with international partners. The name combines Venera, Russian for Venus, and Gallei, the Russian spelling of Halley. Each dropped a lander and a balloon probe at Venus in June 1985, then used Venus's gravity to head for Halley's Comet.
Vega 1 passed Halley on 6 March 1986 and Vega 2 on 9 March, at distances of roughly 8,900 and 8,000 kilometres. They photographed the nucleus and measured the dust and gas, finding the nucleus very dark.
The Vega results helped the European Giotto mission, which flew past Halley a few days later. Positions measured by Vega allowed controllers to aim Giotto much closer to the nucleus, a collaboration known as the Pathfinder project. Together, the 1986 'Halley Armada' of five spacecraft gave humanity its first close look at a comet.
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