Goals: The twin Venera 15 and 16 orbiters were designed to make detailed radar maps of Venus' surface at a resolution of 1 to 2 km (or roughly one mile).

Accomplishments: The twin Soviet spacecraft flew in near-polar elliptical orbits and succeeded in mapping the top half of the northern atmosphere (from the north pole to 30°N latitude, about 115 million square kilometers or 71 million square miles) by the end of the main mission. An altimeter provided topographical data with a height resolution of 50 m (164 feet), and an East German instrument mapped surface temperature variations.