Japanese spacecraft finally reaches Venus

摘要

After missing a turn off the interplanetary expressway, a spacecraft has now finished taking the scenic route to Venus. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Akatsuki probe successfully went into orbit around Earth's sister planet on December 7 at 8:51 a.m. Japan Standard Time - five years after its first attempt. Akatsuki has been looping around the sun since 2010, after an engine misfire prevented the spacecraft from slowing down enough to be captured by Venus' gravity. A nudge from its remaining thrusters put the probe on an orbit that would bring it back to Venus in five years. With its main engine offline and the planet in sight, Akatsuki relied on its thrusters to slow it enough during this year's encounter to stay for an extended visit.