The Venus Life Finder Missions is a private effort by MIT researchers led by Jewish-American scientist Sara Seager and backed by Breakthrough Initiatives.
Is there microbial life floating around in the clouds of Venus? Scientists have long pondered this question and soon we may get some answers, starting with a cloud-skimming mission in 2023 to search for signs of life.
MIT announced the first of a series of privately funded space probes that will use specially designed laser equipment to examine the composition of the atmosphere on Venus to determine if microbial life can exist in its clouds of sulfuric acid.