Scientists from the UK, who previously detected phosphine and ammonia in Venus' atmosphere, are proposing a new mission called VERVE to investigate potential signs of microbial life on Venus.

Venus' surface temperature is extremely hot, around 842°F (450°C), but at about 31 miles altitude, the temperature drops to around 86°F (30°C), creating a potentially habitable environment for extremophile microbes in the clouds.

The VERVE mission will involve a CubeSat-style probe that will piggyback on the European Space Agency's EnVision mission, scheduled for launch in 2031, with a budget of approximately $58 million.

The discovery of phosphine in 2020 by Professor Jane Greaves and her team initially suggested biological activity, but subsequent observations failed to replicate the findings, leading to ongoing scientific debate.

Further insights from the JCMT–Venus project showed that phosphine could only be detected at night and that its concentration fluctuates over time, complicating interpretations.

Phosphine was first detected in Venus's clouds in 2020, sparking controversy due to difficulties in replication and the possibility that sunlight might break down the gas, which adds to the debate about its origin.

Jane Greaves from the University of Cardiff emphasized the importance of a dedicated probe to determine the gases' origins, as no known chemical processes on Venus could produce them.

Monitoring revealed that phosphine signals vary with Venus's day-night cycle, suggesting complex atmospheric processes that could potentially be linked to biological sources.

The mission aims to provide definitive evidence on whether life exists beyond Earth, potentially marking a historic milestone in the search for extraterrestrial life.

The proposed VERVE probe, costing around £43 million, will focus on mapping gases and hydrogen-rich compounds in the clouds about 50 kilometers above Venus's surface, where conditions might support extremophile microbes.

This mission comes at a critical time when U.S. space budget cuts threaten to end NASA's planned Venus missions, including the DAVINCI orbiter and atmospheric probe, which could have provided valuable data.