Dr. David Parker, director of space science at the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council/The British National Space Center, looks at a model of the Venus Express spacecraft against a background depicting the planet Venus at the Royal Society in London. Ground controllers in Darmstadt, Germany, fired the main engine of the European spacecraft early Tuesday, putting it into orbit around Venus. British scientists and industrialists have a strong involvement in the mission.

Darmstadt, Germany ? A European spacecraft on Tuesday moved into orbit around Venus, successfully completing a critical stage of a mission to explore the hostile climate and atmosphere of Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor.

Officials at the European Space Agency’s control center in Darmstadt cheered, clapped and embraced as a green line indicating a clear signal from the Venus Express appeared on their screens, a sign it had completed the maneuver inserting it into orbit.

“It’s a fantastic mission for us. We’ve finally reached Venus,” project manager Don McCoy said.

A short while later, scientists received the first data from the probe and praised the technical phase of the Venus mission – ESA’s fourth to a celestial body – as a success. Over the next several weeks, scientists will turn on the seven instruments on the probe and run them through tests.

By June, they are expected to begin gathering information on how Venus, while similar to Earth in size and geological makeup, wound up with such a hot, dense atmosphere swathed in clouds of sulfuric acid.

“We want to learn about the mistakes of Venus for the sake of the Earth,” ESA Scientific Director David Southwood said.

An initial image of Venus’ south pole is expected Thursday.