Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has confirmed that it lost contact with the spacecraft Akatsuki, humanity's only mission to Venus. The announcement was made on X (formerly Twitter).
The space agency said that the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) lost communication with Akatsuki in late April.
The JAXA wrote, “[From the Akatsuki team] ISAS has lost contact with Akatsuki after an operation in late April due to an extended period of low attitude stability control mode, and is currently making efforts to reestablish communication with the spacecraft.”
[From the Akatsuki team](1/2)
ISAS has lost contact with Akatsuki after an operation in late April due to an extended period of low attitude stability control mode, and is currently making efforts to reestablish communication with the spacecraft.— 「あかつき」チーム (@Akatsuki_JAXA) May 29, 2024
In a follow-up post, the agency said, “We will inform you about future plans once they are fixed. Thank you for your warm support.”
[From the Akatsuki team](2/2)
We will inform you about future plans once they are fixed. Thank you for your warm support.— 「あかつき」チーム (@Akatsuki_JAXA) May 29, 2024
Japan's first successful mission to explore another planet, Akatsuki was launched on May 21, 2010.
As per the official page of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Akatsuki is the Venus Climate Orbiter mission (PLANET-C). The aim — “to observe the toxic atmosphere and super-hot volcanic surface of Venus.”
The US-based Space agency added, “Study weather patterns on Venus, confirm lightning in thick clouds, and search for signs of active volcanism.”
Akatsuki, carrying six types of observation equipment, entered the planet's orbit in 2015. It was launched from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center. The total launch budget was JPY 25.2 billion ($205 million), reported AFP.
The spacecraft is designed to study the thick clouds shrouding Venus in three dimensions.
It is also supposed to study the planet's strong winds. The winds, estimated to be faster than 360 kph, cause an atmospheric phenomenon known as super-rotation.