Re: Yeah, but they sacked Venus Express :( n/t
More accurately, it seems that the Italians dragged their heels on funding key VEx instruments; so ESA had to drop it for the 2005 launch window. Don't think that this mission is really dead, though - expect Titov to keep his core team together & go looking for replacement funding on a later (2007/8; or thereabouts) window while ESA continues to finance development work. With a bit more time to build their craft, the mission might even improve.
Robert