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 Mission Type
Mission Type (category) Mission Type (category)Robotic / Uncrewed Mission 1 Connections
Operated By
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Additional Source Akatsuki (spacecraft) (Wikipedia)Wikipedia: Akatsuki (spacecraft), lead section
Spacecraft Of
Source Akatsuki (spacecraft) (Wikipedia)
Targets
Sources
1. Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation- Mission Type (category): Orbiter
- Mission Type (category): Robotic / Uncrewed Mission
- Mission Type: Robotic Venus atmosphere orbiter mission
- Launch Date: 2010-05-20
- Outcome: Successful 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.
2. Akatsuki (spacecraft) (Wikipedia)
Infobox, declared
18 September 2025
Lead paragraph
was a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) space probe tasked with studying the atmosphere of Venus
Lead paragraph, target
space probe tasked with studying the atmosphere of Venus
Lead paragraph, outcome
failed to enter orbit around Venus on 6 December 2010 ... successfully placed it into an alternate Venusian elliptic orbit on 7 December 2015
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.
Includes: Akatsuki, Lead paragraph, part-of
Akatsuki (あかつき, 暁; "Dawn"), also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter (VCO) and Planet-C, was a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) space probe tasked with studying the atmosphere of Venus.
Spacecraft Of: Akatsuki, Lead paragraph, mission-of
Akatsuki (あかつき, 暁; "Dawn"), also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter (VCO) and Planet-C, was a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) space probe tasked with studying the atmosphere of Venus.
In Group: Venus Probe Programs, Lead sentence
Akatsuki (あかつき, 暁; "Dawn"), also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter (VCO) and Planet-C, was a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) space probe tasked with studying the atmosphere of Venus.
View the SourceVenus (Wikipedia)
Targets: Venus, Article textQuote, Targets: Venus, Article text
In 2013 ESA scientists reported that the ionosphere of Venus streams outwards in a manner similar to "the ion tail seen streaming from a comet under similar conditions." In December 2015, and to a lesser extent in April and May 2016, researchers working on Japan's Akatsuki mission observed bow-shaped objects in the atmosphere of Venus.
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