A Japanese survey which sent a fictitious pop star to Venus is officially dead

Venus is officially a lonely planet. After losing contact with the Akatsuki spacecraft last year, the Japanese space agency (JAXA) officially ended the operations of the only mission left on the orbit of our neighboring planet.

Earlier this week, Jaxa determined that the recovery of her Venus probe was unlikely, which prompted him to end the 15 -year mission. Akatsuki, which translates into “dawn” in Japanese, launched on May 21, 2010, to study the weather conditions on Venus and confirm the presence of lightning in the thick clouds of the planet. The probe has led thousands of emblematic Japanese vocaloid drawings Hatsune Miku, sending fictitious pop on a unique trip to space.

Before its launch, Jaxa invited the public to send messages aboard the probe. Fans of the Miku Hatsune Miku generated by computer, a popular virtual idol created by Crypton Future Media, delivered around 13,000 illustrations by the 16 -year -old character, which were engraved on the equilibrium weights of the aluminum of the spacecraft.

Rough starts

The Akatsuki spacecraft, also known as Planet-C or Venus Climate Orbiter, had a difficult start on its trip. During its approach to the second clearest planet in the sun, the spacecraft underwent a dysfunction of the engine which thwarted its attempt to enter the orbit of Venus.

The spaceship remained in hibernation for almost five years, orbit around the sun. Jaxa would not give up its probe, however, and would use the main engine of Akatsuki to a secondary attitude control engine. Although it only produced about a fifth of the push of the main engine, Akatsuki succeeded in its attempt at orbital insertion.

Shortly after its orbital insertion, Akatsuki made its first discovery. The spacecraft identified an enormous curved characteristic in the atmosphere of Venus which almost extended from the north to the southern poles. Later, scientists determined that the giant structure was caused by waves of gravity, ripples in an atmosphere caused by the air moving on a rough topography (in this case, the high mountains of Venus).

Akatsuki became the first successful attempt in Japan to explore another planet. The spacecraft is equipped with four ultraviolet cameras and infrared wavelengths, using a high -speed imaging to detect lightning in Venus clouds and radio science techniques to observe the vertical structure of its atmosphere.

In April 2024, Jaxa lost communication with Akatsuki. “We are trying to restore communication since last year, but it has been determined that additional recovery is unlikely, and we have decided to end this chapter,” Jaxa wrote on X.

Venus will not be alone for a long time. NASA is preparing to send two missions to the hot hot planet. The Davinci survey should be launched in 2030, followed by Veritas in 2031, as part of the agency’s initiative to better understand how Venus, which shares characteristics similar to the earth, has become an infernal world.