A JAXA robotic mission to study the atmosphere and climate of Venus, launched on 20 May 2010. The spacecraft failed to enter Venus orbit on its first attempt in December 2010 due to an engine malfunction, but after five years orbiting the Sun, engineers successfully placed it into an alternate elliptical Venus orbit on 7 December 2015 using its attitude control thrusters, becoming Japan's first successful mission to another planet. Akatsuki returned atmospheric data until contact was lost in April 2024, with operations formally terminated in September 2025.
Facts
Mission TypeRobotic Venus atmosphere orbiter mission 1 OutcomeSuccessful after an initial failed orbit-insertion attempt; returned Venus atmospheric data for over eight years before contact was lost in April 2024 and operations were formally terminated in September 2025. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: Akatsuki (spacecraft), lead sectionQuote, Wikipedia: Akatsuki (spacecraft), lead section
After the craft orbited the Sun for five years, engineers successfully placed it into an alternate Venusian elliptic orbit on 7 December 2015.
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