In August 2023, 18 scientists and engineers spent 15 days in barren regions of Iceland to test how well instruments on the VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) spacecraft will perform when investigating the surface of Venus from orbit. This testing was a critical step in developing procedures to enhance the science output of the mission, which will provide the first new data about the planet’s surface in more than 3 decades.