The AKATSUKI was launched by the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 17 in May 2010. After its smooth flight, JAXA attempted to insert the orbiter into the orbit circling around Venus on Dec. 7, 2010, but it failed as the main engine for orbit control was broken.
JAXA established an investigation team to find the cause of the failure while studying a feasible plan for a second attempt.
On Dec. 7, 2015, JAXA successfully inserted the orbiter into the Venus orbit by emitting thrust from the attitude control engine. We will perform function checks of onboard observation instruments for about three months and gradually shift the orbit to an elliptical orbit whose period is about nine days through orbit control operations. Full-scale observations are scheduled to begin in April 2016.

JAXA accepted support messages for the AKATSUKI between Nov. 5, 2015, thru Jan. 5, 2016. Thank you very much for your support.

The probe vehicle of AKATSUKI will enter an elliptical orbit, 300 to 80,000 km away from Venus’s surface. This wide variation in distance will enable comprehensive observations of the planet’s meteorological phenomena and of its surface, as well as observations of the atmospheric particles escaping from Venus into space. It will also be possible to take close-up photos of Venus, and to observe the storm winds that blow on the Venusian surface, at speeds that reach 100 m a second - 60 times the speed at which Venus rotates. This phenomenon remains the biggest mystery of Venus, as it cannot be explained meteorologically. AKATSUKI will employ infrared light to observe and elucidate the mysteries surrounding the atmosphere under the clouds and the conditions on the planet’s surface. In addition, it will confirm the presence of active volcanoes and thunder.