Akatsuki

Akatsuki , also known as the Venus Climate Orbiter (VCO) and Planet-C, was a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) space probe tasked with studying the atmosphere of Venus. It was launched aboard an H-IIA 202 rocket on 20 May 2010, but failed to enter orbit around Venus on 6 December 2010. After the craft orbited the Sun for five years, engineers successfully placed it into an alternative Venusian elliptic orbit on 7 December 2015 by firing its attitude control thrusters for 20 minutes and made it the first Japanese satellite orbiting Venus.

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2010 Website,  Wikimedia, Wikidata
planetary probe, derelict satellite, orbiter, H-IIA, 

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Location: KML, Cluster Map, Maps,

2010-05-20T00:00:00Z

2010-05-20T00:00:00Z

2010 Akatsuki

2024-04-01T00:00:00Z

2024-04-01T00:00:00Z

loss of signal

2025-09-18T00:00:00Z

2025-09-18T00:00:00Z

mission termination

2010-12-07T00:00:00Z

2010-12-07T00:00:00Z

planetary flyby

2010-05-20T00:00:00Z

2010-05-20T00:00:00Z

rocket launch

2015-12-07T00:00:00Z

2015-12-07T00:00:00Z

orbit insertion

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Frameless

Configuration of Akatsuki spacecraft (left) and a photograph of the spacecraft with the solar array paddles being folded (right).

Schematic of the three-dimensional observation by Akatsuki.

Movement of the spacecraft orbit and Venus in a Sun-Earth line fixed rotating coordinate in the original plan. Numerals in the figure indicate days after VOI.

Spacecraft orbit about Venus seen from the north (upper) and from the equatorial plane (lower)

Configuration of Akatsuki spacecraft (left) and a photograph of the spacecraft with the solar array paddles being folded (right).

Schematic of the three-dimensional observation by Akatsuki.

Movement of the spacecraft orbit and Venus in a Sun-Earth line fixed rotating coordinate in the original plan. Numerals in the figure indicate days after VOI.

Spacecraft orbit about Venus seen from the north (upper) and from the equatorial plane (lower)

JAXA ISAS's exploration "Akatsuki" press conference.

JAXA ISAS's exploration "Akatsuki" press conference.

• Overview of Akatsuki data products: definition of data levels, method and accuracy of geometric correction - article by Kazunori Ogohara et al published December 2017 in Earth, Planets and Space, online
• [Molecular analysis of Malassezia species isolated from three cases of Akatsuki disease (pomade crust)] - scientific article published on 01 January 2005, online
• AKATSUKI returns to Venus - , 2016
• Radial distribution of compressive waves in the solar Corona revealed by akatsuki radio occultation observations - scientific article published in January 2014, Q1860
• Initial products of Akatsuki 1-μm camera - , 2018
• Automated cloud tracking system for the Akatsuki Venus Climate Orbiter data - scientific article, Q1860, 2012
• Venus cloud morphology and motions from ground-based images at the time of the Akatsuki orbit insertion - , Q1860, 2016
• Venus looks different from day to night across wavelengths: morphology from Akatsuki multispectral images - scientific article published on 12 February 2018
• Ultraviolet imager on Venus orbiter Akatsuki and its initial results - scientific article published on 12 February 2018

Type	Subtype	Date	Description	Notes	Source
commons	image		Configuration of Akatsuki spacecraft (left) and a photograph of the spacecraft with the solar array paddles being folded (right).		Commons
commons	image		Schematic of the three-dimensional observation by Akatsuki.		Commons
commons	image		Movement of the spacecraft orbit and Venus in a Sun-Earth line fixed rotating coordinate in the original plan. Numerals in the figure indicate days after VOI.		Commons
commons	image		Spacecraft orbit about Venus seen from the north (upper) and from the equatorial plane (lower)		Commons
commons	image		Configuration of Akatsuki spacecraft (left) and a photograph of the spacecraft with the solar array paddles being folded (right).		Commons
commons	image		Schematic of the three-dimensional observation by Akatsuki.		Commons
commons	image		Movement of the spacecraft orbit and Venus in a Sun-Earth line fixed rotating coordinate in the original plan. Numerals in the figure indicate days after VOI.		Commons
commons	image		Spacecraft orbit about Venus seen from the north (upper) and from the equatorial plane (lower)		Commons
commons	image		JAXA ISAS's exploration "Akatsuki" press conference.		Commons
commons	image		JAXA ISAS's exploration "Akatsuki" press conference.		Commons