Japan's Venus Explorer "Akatsuki" Loses Contact, Marking the Current Sole Active Venus Mission
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) disclosed that the Venus explorer "Akatsuki," launched in 2010, has lost contact. The spacecraft has been incommunicado since the end of April, despite numerous attempts by the engineering team to re-establish communication.
"Akatsuki" (PLANET-C, Venus Climate Orbiter) is a climate satellite dedicated to studying Venus, representing humanity's only active mission to the planet. Since its arrival at Venus in December 2010, Akatsuki has been gathering data on the planet's super-rotation in its atmosphere. Initially slated for operation until 2018, its mission was extended and continues to this day.
The current issue is identified as a malfunction in the spacecraft's thruster, preventing it from properly aligning with Earth. This malfunction has left the engineering team unable to establish a connection with Akatsuki, and the exact cause of the issue remains unclear, possibly due to the thruster reaching the end of its lifespan.
Despite JAXA's efforts to restore communication, the connection remains lost as of this article's publication. JAXA has committed to providing updates should there be any developments.
The peak of human exploration missions to Venus occurred in the 1970s, with both the Soviet Union and the United States launching numerous probes, some of which, notably those from the Soviet Union, managed to land on Venus's surface despite the extreme temperatures and pressures.
However, due to the dense atmosphere and runaway greenhouse effect making Venus's surface temperature reach up to 467°C (873°F) with a pressure of 93 bars, these missions have left humanity largely disappointed.
Currently, besides the "Akatsuki," NASA's Solar Orbiter and the European Space Agency (ESA) / JAXA's BepiColombo occasionally fly by Venus for gravitational assists.
According to known space programs from various countries and organizations, there are six planned missions related to Venus exploration. However, none of these are guaranteed to launch before the end of this century, leaving us uncertain about when we might next obtain detailed information about Venus.
Furthermore, the BepiColombo mission is currently facing issues with its power supply, limiting the thruster's full operation. Engineers from ESA and JAXA are working to resolve this problem.