After a failed first attempt that took place five years ago to the day by the Japanese Aerospace eXploration Agency (JAXA), the Japanese spacecraft Akatsuki was successfully inserted into the orbit of Venus on Monday, according to RT. The probe made its way into the plane's gravitational pull after a thrust that took place for 20 minutes and 30 seconds and is currently the only spacecraft orbiting Earth's sister planet.
"Yes, the spacecraft is in orbit," said Sanjay Limaye, a NASA-sponsored scientist who is working with the Akatsuki team in Japan. "The parameters appear to be very close to those planned for the first orbit."
Back in 2010, the mission failed due to a problem with the spaceraft's equipment that caused it to head straight past Venus instead of entering its orbit.
Although the original mission was supposed to last approximately 30 hours at a range of 186 to 49,700 miles above Venus, the new mission will take place around 310,000 miles above the planet, which is more than six times farther than the original distance, according to The Verge. Furthermore, the orbiting period will be much longer - around 14 to 15 days.
JAXA plans to eventually fire Akatsuki's thrusters again in order to achieve a closer distance to the planet, although this distance will still be further than the mission's original goal. This difference in orbit also means that the current mission will collect less data than originally planned.
Akatsuki possesses five cameras, which have a range that spans infrared to ultraviolent wavelengths and are designed to study Venus' atmospheric features; scientists hope the cameras will be able to help them further understand the lightning believed to occur in its acidic clouds, according to Nature.
