The specific French contribution to this mission, consists of the supply of 2 scientific instruments :

VIRTIS (Visible and InfraRed Thermal Imaging Spectrometer) : Visible and Infra-red Spectro-imager inherited from Rosetta.
SPICAV (SPectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Venus) : comprises three spectrometers, including two inherited from Mars Express (Ultraviolet and near Infra-red), and the new spectrometer SOIR provided by Belgium.

and a participation in the development of the third :

ASPERA-4 (Analyser of Space Plasmas & EneRgetic Atoms) : Imagery of neutral atoms: study of Venus' ionized environment.

French Co-investigators are also present on other instruments (PFS, Planetary Fourier Spectrometer) and VeRa (Radio sounder of Venus).

CNES ensures a support and the technical follow-up of these instrumental developments realized by the scientific laboratories. It supports the scientific teams for the analysis of these experiments.

Venus EXpress was successfully launched on November 9 2005 from Baïkonour by a Soyuz rocket equipped with a Fregat stage.
On February 23 2007, ESA announced that the mission was extended, pushing back the mission end date to early-May 2009.
On February 4 2009, ESA announced that the mission was again extended, pushing back the mission end date to the end of December 2009.
On October 2 2009, ESA's Science Programme Committee approuved the extension of VENUS EXPRESS mission operations until December 31 2012.
On November 19 2010, ESA's Science Programme Committee approuved the extension of VENUS EXPRESS mission operations until December 31 2014, extension submitted to a review in 2012.

One of its most interesting results was the confirmation of a double vortex at the planet's south pole. This vortex had already been observed at the north pole but not with the very accurate, sensitive instruments carried on Venus Express. These polar vortices result from the super rotation of Venus's atmosphere, which at the equator causes clouds to rotate in four days, creating a characteristic Y-shaped pattern at a slight inclination to the equator.