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Tokyo (AFP) Dec 8, 2010 An interplanetary probe intended to go into orbit around Venus has failed in its mission, Japan's space agency said Wednesday, 200 days after it left Earth. "Akatsuki", or "Dawn", was intended to be the first Japanese satellite to orbit a planet other than Earth. Officially called the Planet-C Venus Climate Orbiter, the box-shaped golden satellite fitted with two paddle-shaped solar panels had blasted off from a space centre in southern Japan in May. It reversed its engine to slow down and enter the planet's gravitational field Tuesday, when it temporarily lost contact with ground control, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said. On Wednesday JAXA announced that its mission had failed -- although it immediately said it was considering another attempt in seven years' time. "We started the manoeuvre to put the Venus probe Akatsuki into orbit around Venus at 8:49 am (Tokyo time) on December 7... but have confirmed that we could not put it into the orbit," JAXA said in a statement. JAXA said it had set up a taskforce to investigate the cause of the failure. Japan launched a Mars probe in 1998 but JAXA gave up on its attempt to put the probe, called "Nozomi" or "Hope", into orbit in 2003 after finding it impossible to overcome technical glitches. Venus is similar in size and age to Earth but has a far more hostile climate, with temperatures around 460 degrees Celsius (860 degrees Fahrenheit) and large amounts of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas on Earth. Scientists believe investigating the climate of Venus would help them deepen their understanding of the formation of the Earth's environment and its future. The Akatsuki was fitted with five cameras to peer through the planet's thick layer of sulphuric acid clouds to monitor the meteorology of Venus, search for possible lightning, and scan its crust for active volcanoes. Akatsuki was to work closely with the European Space Agency's Venus Express.
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Japan's first Venus probe struggling to enter orbitTokyo (AFP) Dec 7, 2010 Japan's first space probe bound for Venus was struggling on Tuesday to enter the planet's orbit, the space agency said. The Planet-C Venus Climate Orbiter, a box-shaped golden satellite fitted with two paddle-shaped solar panels, blasted off from a space centre in southern Japan in May. The probe, nicknamed "Akatsuki" or "Dawn", reversed its engine to slow down and enter the planet's gra ... read more |
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