Japan’s venus Orbiter Akatsuki Ends Mission After 15 Years
Tokyo, Japan – Japan’s Venus Climate Orbiter Akatsuki has concluded its mission on September 18, 2025, after JAXA, the nation’s space agency, was unable to restore functionality following contact loss in April 2024 due to attitude control issues.The spacecraft, launched on May 21, 2010, initially faced orbital insertion challenges but successfully began its active mission in 2015.
Akatsuki carried six instruments, including cameras operating across visible, ultraviolet, and infrared spectra, alongside an oscillator for radio occultation experiments. The orbiter surpassed its original design lifespan, having completed its primary mission goals in April 2018 and continuing to gather data for several years beyond.
The mission provided a wealth of scientific data about Venus, observing the planet continuously from orbit for a decade. Akatsuki’s end marks a pause in active Venus exploration,with the next planned mission,the atmospheric Venus Life Finder,currently slated for a 2026 launch. A potential orbiter mission is not expected before 2028,leaving Venus without an artificial satellite for the foreseeable future.
