Spaceflight Now Home





Top Stories



Come see a launch - There are only five more chances to witness an awe-inspiring shuttle launch.

Shuttle inspiration - The Endeavour astronauts were inspired by early shuttle memories.

Cassini extension - NASA has approved an extension of the Cassini mission at Saturn until 2017.

Countdown starts - The three-day countdown begins for the launch of shuttle Endeavour.

Budget good for science - The proposed 2011 NASA budget boosts funding for Earth science and deep space missions.

Uncertainty at KSC - The cancellation of the Constellation moon program leaves the future of KSC up in the air.

Crew reflects on shuttle - The Endeavour astronauts see a place in history for the space shuttles.

Astronauts arrive - Six astronauts fly to Florida for launch aboard Endeavour.

Progress launches - A fresh batch of supplies launch to the space station on a Progress freighter.

Budget short on details - NASA and the White House are still tweaking the new NASA vision just unveiled.

Moon program scrapped - President Obama's 2011 budget proposal would cancel moon program and rely on commercial crew transportation providers.

Stimulus funds awarded - NASA awards stimulus money to up-and-coming commercial providers for crew transportation.





NewsAlert



Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop.

Enter your e-mail address:

Privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose.



Japan readies first mission to Venus for 2010 launch
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW

Posted: October 24, 2009


Bookmark and Share

Japan has christened its next deep space mission Akatsuki, meaning dawn in English, a half-year before the spacecraft is dispatched toward Venus to analyze the planet's smothering atmosphere.


Artist's concept of the Akatsuki spacecraft over Venus. Credit: JAXA/Akihiro Ikeshita
 
The name Akatsuki was selected because Venus shines brightly as the morning star just before sunrise, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The mission was previously named Planet C and is Japan's first spacecraft to be sent to Venus.

The 1,058-pound robotic probe will launch aboard an H-2A rocket from Japan's Tanegashima spaceport around May 20, 2010. If Akatsuki departs Earth in May or June, the spacecraft will arrive at Venus in December 2010.

The satellite has spent the summer in comprehensive performance testing before it is shipped to Tanegashima this winter.

Akatsuki will be Japan's second interplanetary mission after the Nozomi spacecraft that twice missed entering orbit around Mars after launching in 1998. The Venus orbiter also closely follows JAXA's first lunar probe, Kaguya, and the maiden flight of the HTV cargo ship for the International Space Station.

After its six-month cruise through space, Akatsuki will enter an equatorial orbit around Venus stretching from just above the planet's blanketing atmosphere to an altitude of nearly 50,000 miles.

Six experiments will allow Akatsuki, also called Venus Climate Orbiter, to peer deep into the planet's atmosphere and even study surface activity.

The Venusian carbon dioxide atmosphere causes a runaway greenhouse effect that drives surface temperatures to about 860 degrees Fahrenheit. Cloud formations in the atmosphere swirl around the planet at speeds of up to 250 mph.

Scientists want to know more about the mechanics of such a world, and Akatsuki will help Japanese researchers answer those questions.

Akatsuki's sensor package includes two infrared cameras to observe lower level clouds and collect data on potential active volcanoes. A longwave infrared instrument and ultraviolet imager will look at cloud tops and track global storm systems to produce wind maps.

A lightning and airglow camera will take pictures of the night side of Venus.

The sixth investigation is a radio science experiment to derive vertical temperature and vapor density profiles of the atmosphere. This data will be produced on the ground based on the atmosphere's effects on radio signals received from the spacecraft.

JAXA describes Akatsuki as the first interplanetary weather satellite.

Akatsuki will operate for at least two Earth years, and scientists hope the Japanese mission will arrive in time to work with Europe's Venus Express probe already at the planet.

Venus Express is in an extended mission through December 2012 after beginning its mission at Venus in April 2006.

If Akatsuki makes it to its destination while Venus Express is still active, it would be the first time since 1992 that two spacecraft operated simultaneously in orbit around Venus.

Current Shuttle Mission Patch

Free shipping to U.S. addresses!

The official embroidered patch for shuttle Endeavour's flight to launch the Tranquility module and cupola to the space station now available in our store!
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

Expedition 20
The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 20 crew is now available from our stores.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE



Ares Patch
The Ares Project will develop two new rockets to launch astronauts back to the Moon under NASA's Vision for Exploration. The Ares 1 will employ a single space shuttle solid rocket booster to loft the Orion crew capsule. The gigantic Ares 5 will haul the equipment and cargo needed for such lunar voyages. This is the Ares emblem.
 U.S. STORE


One Giant Leap
Hosted by Corbin Bernsen, this award winning documentary marks the 50th anniversary of the U.S. space agency and features exclusive interviews with veteran astronauts.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

Expedition 21
The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 21 crew is now available from our stores.
 U.S. STORE
 WORLDWIDE STORE

INDEX | PLUS | NEWS ARCHIVE | LAUNCH SCHEDULE
ASTRONOMY NOW | STORE

ADVERTISE

© 2010 Spaceflight Now Inc.