Japan: On Second Try, Space Probe Enters Orbit Around Venus

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/10/world/asia/japan-on-second-try-space-probe-enters-orbit-around-venus.html

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Japan’s space agency said Wednesday that its Akatsuki probe had successfully entered orbit around Venus after an initial attempt failed five years ago. It is the first time a Japanese space probe has entered the orbit of another planet, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA. An agency project manager, Masato Nakamura, said the probe would shift to full observation of Venus in April. Akatsuki, meaning dawn, blasted off in 2010 on a mission to observe the toxic atmosphere and superhot volcanic surface of Venus. But it failed to enter the planet’s gravitational pull and shot past it, forcing JAXA technicians to make the second attempt.