Mission control team readies for Venus arrival   Artist's impression of the ESA spacecraft Venus Express in orbit around Venus, launch date 26 October 2005. Pointing engine for braking     VEX mission control team in MCR during training for launch, October 2005 Venus Express in great shape     An artist's impression of the first firing test of the Venus Express spacecraft main engine, being performed in space during the night of 16/17 February 2006. The burn started at 01:27 CET and lasted about three seconds.   Andrea Accomazzo, SOM, in MCR during VEX launch, 9 November 2005. Release date: 28 September 2007