Japan’s Akatsuki Spacecraft Declared Inoperable, Marking End of Dedicated Venus Missions

Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft, which studied Venus for nearly a decade, has been declared inoperable by JAXA. Successfully orbiting in 2015 after an initial failure, Akatsuki uncovered major insights into Venus’s swirling clouds and atmosphere. Its mission’s end leaves a gap until NASA’s VERITAS and DAVINCI+ missions take over.