Akatsuki is Japan's mission dedicated to studying the climate of Venus and currently the only active spacecraft in orbit around the second planet from the sun. The $300 million spacecraft launched ...

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has every reason to celebrate right now. Back in 2010, the agency's Venus Climate Orbiter, known by the name Akatsuki ("dawn"), failed to make it into ...

During Akatsuki’s 2010 attempt, instead of positioning itself to fly into Venus’s elliptical equatorial orbit, the spacecraft’s malfunctioning engine’s prevented it from properly braking ...

If all went well, Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft is now in orbit around Venus — five years later than its engineers originally planned. However, it will be a few days before the Japanese mission ...

Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft has finally entered orbit around Venus after taking a five-year detour through the solar system. Launched in May 2010 by the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), Akatsuki failed ...

While JAXA scientists managed to re-establish contact with the probe, they announced Dec. 8 that Akatsuki had failed to enter Venus orbit. JAXA officials said that the thrusters failed to fire for ...

A Japanese spacecraft's long-awaited Venus campaign is finally about to begin. Japan's Akatsuki probe was originally supposed to arrive at Venus in December 2010, but an engine failure caused the ...

Japanese spacecraft Akatsuki failed to enter Venus's orbit, foiling Japan's attempt to achieve planetary exploration for another six years when the craft will pass the planet again.

Akatsuki took this infrared image of Venus on its unplanned flyby five years ago. Better pictures to come. Japan’s space agency JAXA has successfully sent robotic spacecraft to explore the moon ...

Japan's Akatsuki is a spacecraft that is orbiting Venus to study the planet's climate and atmosphere. The $300-million spacecraft began its science observations in 2016 and remained operational as ...

Space exploration rarely gives second chances, but the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) took advantage of a big one today. The Agency has confirmed that its Akatsuki space probe has ...