Akatsuki (PLANET-C) Venus Climate Orbiter
Akatsuki was JAXA’s Venus climate-orbiter spacecraft for ultraviolet and infrared imaging, lightning and airglow observations, and radio science of Venus’s atmosphere. After its first orbit-insertion attempt failed, the spacecraft used its attitude-control system to enter a redesigned Venus orbit and operated until JAXA ended mission operations in September 2025.
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Identity
- Aliases
- AkatsukiPLANET-CVenus Climate Orbiter
- Family Name
- Akatsuki
- Full Name
- Akatsuki (PLANET-C) Venus Climate Orbiter
- Roles
- interplanetary_probeorbiterobservatoryresearch
- Status
- retired
- Type
- spacecraft
Details
- Description
- Akatsuki was JAXA’s Venus climate-orbiter spacecraft for ultraviolet and infrared imaging, lightning and airglow observations, and radio science of Venus’s atmosphere. After its first orbit-insertion attempt failed, the spacecraft used its attitude-control system to enter a redesigned Venus orbit and operated until JAXA ended mission operations in September 2025.
- Dimensions
- Height
- …
- Length
- …
- Width
- …
- First Flight Year
- 2,010
- Last Flight Year
- 2,025
- Operator
- Spacecraft Specs
- Launch Mass
- …
- Reusability
- expendable
Links
- Official Url
- https://akatsuki.isas.jaxa.jp/en/mission/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 12, 2026 at 19:15:38 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 14, 2026 at 09:29:05 UTC