Japan Abandons Akatsuki Venus Orbiter After Communication Failure

Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has officially ended its efforts to operate the Akatsuki spacecraft after losing contact with it last year. The orbiter, part of Japan’s ambitious planetary exploration program, was designed to study Venus but faced multiple setbacks during its mission.

The Launch and Early Challenges

Akatsuki, whose name means “Dawn” in Japanese, was launched in May 2010 aboard an H-IIA rocket. The primary goal was to insert the spacecraft into Venus orbit by December that year. However, a critical main engine failure during the orbital insertion burn forced Akatsuki to orbit the Sun instead of Venus.

Despite this setback, engineers used the spacecraft’s remaining thrusters and engines to carefully adjust its trajectory. After nearly five years of maneuvering, Akatsuki achieved a feasible orbit around Venus in December 2015 and began sending back valuable images and scientific data.

Operational Challenges and Data Collection

Initially designed for a mission duration of around four and a half years, Akatsuki exceeded expectations by continuing its operations into 2016. However, electrical issues impacted several of its cameras, notably reducing its imaging capabilities. To safeguard its remaining instruments, JAXA shut down two of the five cameras.

Despite these problems, Akatsuki accumulated a wealth of data, contributing hundreds of scientific publications that enhanced our understanding of Venus’s atmosphere and surface conditions.

The Final Days and Mission Termination

In April 2024, the spacecraft experienced a major malfunction that prevented it from maintaining its orbit. Efforts to re-establish communication were unsuccessful, and JAXA announced the termination of the mission on Thursday.

> “Although recovery operations were conducted to restore communication, there has been no luck so far,” JAXA stated. “Considering the fact that the spacecraft has aged, well exceeding its designed lifetime, and was already in the late-stage operation phase, it has been decided to terminate operations.”

Future Missions to Venus

With Akatsuki’s mission concluded, there are currently no active spacecraft orbiting Venus. Nonetheless, several international missions are underway or planned:

• NASA aims to launch its DAVINCI+ lander in 2030, with the VERITAS orbiter hoping to follow no earlier than 2031.
• The European Space Agency has approved the “Envision” mission, targeted for launch around 2031.
• Private companies like Rocket Lab are also planning Venus missions, including a proposed project to search for signs of life in Venus’s harsh environment. This mission is expected to launch between 2025 and 2026, with a brief operational window of about five minutes once it enters the dense atmosphere.

The end of Akatsuki marks a pause in human exploration of Venus, but future missions hold the promise of uncovering new secrets of Earth’s neighboring planet.