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Spacecraft

Akatsuki

Space Probe

Akatsuki is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency robotic space probe launched in 2010 to study the atmosphere and climate of Venus. The spacecraft main engine failed during its first attempt to enter orbit around Venus in December 2010, sending it instead into an orbit around the Sun, but mission engineers used its smaller attitude control thrusters to successfully place it into Venus orbit on a second attempt five years later, in December 2015. Once in orbit, Akatsuki became the first spacecraft to study the puzzling super rotation of Venus atmosphere, which circles the planet far faster than the planet itself rotates.

Facts
Spacecraft Type
Venus orbiter 1
Launch Date
2010-05-21 1
Manufacturer
NEC Space Technologies 1
Status
Mission ended 1
Connections

Operated By

Akatsuki is a JAXA mission, Japan's Venus Climate Orbiter.

Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)

Orbits

Akatsuki entered orbit around Venus on December 7, 2015, after an earlier failed attempt in 2010, and remains in orbit conducting atmospheric observations.

Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Sources
1. Akatsuki (spacecraft) (Wikipedia)
  • Infobox, Spacecraft type
    Venus orbiter
  • Infobox, Launch date
    21 May 2010, 21:58:22 UTC
  • Infobox, Manufacturer
    NEC Space Technologies
  • Body text, Mission end section
    Operation was terminated officially on 18 September 2025
View the Source
Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Operated By: JAXA, Wikipedia: Akatsuki (spacecraft), lead section
  • Orbits: Venus, Wikipedia: Akatsuki (spacecraft), lead section
View the Source
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