The Venus Express spacecraft successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 03:33 UT on 9 November 2005 on a Soyuz-Fregat rocket. It will study Venus's complex dynamics and chemistry, and the interactions between the atmosphere and the surface, which will give clues about surface's characteristics. It will also study the interactions between the atmosphere and the interplanetary environment (solar wind) to better understand the evolution of the planet.