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JAXA Declares Akatsuki Probe Dead After 14 Years

11/3/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has declared Akatsuki dead after losing contact in April 2024.
Launched in 2010, Akatsuki studied Venus weather, exceeded its 4.5-year design life, yielding eight years of data and 178 papers.
Despite an engine failure, the probe operated with four instruments until contact was lost.
Future Venus missions include NASA's DAVINCI and VERITAS, launching in 2030 and 2031, and ESA's EnVision orbiter planned for the 2030s.

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Story summary

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has declared Akatsuki dead after losing contact in April 2024.
Launched in 2010, Akatsuki studied Venus weather, exceeded its 4.5-year design life, yielding eight years of data and 178 papers.
Despite an engine failure, the probe operated with four instruments until contact was lost.
Future Venus missions include NASA's DAVINCI and VERITAS, launching in 2030 and 2031, and ESA's EnVision orbiter planned for the 2030s.