API VERSION: 1.2
API SOURCE: NASA/JPL Horizons API

*******************************************************************************
 Revised: Aug 06, 2025      Akatsuki / VCO / Planet-C (spacecraft)           -5
                        http://www.stp.isas.jaxa.jp/venus/E_plan.html
                     http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/planet_c/index_e.html
             http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/planet_c/topics.html#topics5594

 NOTE: 
 Contact was lost in April 2024 due to attitude control issues.  JAXA declared 
 mission end on September 18, 2025.
 
 This JAXA mission (Japan) was launched 2010-May-20 21:58:22 a.m UTC from 
 Tanegashima Space Center on an H-IIA F17. It separated from the booster at 
 27 minutes and 29 seconds after liftoff.  

 Five payloads were on launcher, including the Ikaros solar sail [successfully
  deployed]: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/akatsuki/ikaros.pdf
  English translation blog: http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/IKAROS-blog/

 ... and Unitec-1 interplanetary amateur radio relay [LOS shortly thereafter]:
  http://www.oz9aec.net/index.php/gnu-radio/gnu-radio-blog/309-unitec-1-a-new-deep-space-adventure
  http://www.unisec.jp/unitec-1/files/text/UNITEC-1operation_en.pdf

 MISSION DESCRIPTION
  The Venus Climate Orbiter mission (PLANET-C) was originally planned to 
  study the atmospheric circulation of Venus over a nominal mission of 
  4.5 years. 

  Meteorological information was obtained by globally mapping clouds and 
  constituents successively with 5 cameras at ultraviolet and infrared 
  wavelengths, detecting lightning with a high-speed imagery, and observing 
  the vertical structure of the atmosphere with radio science techniques. 

  The equatorial elongated orbit with westward revolution suits the movement 
  and temporal variation of the Venusian atmosphere, which rotates westward. 
  The systematic, continuous imaging observations will provide an unprecedented 
  large dataset of the Venusian atmospheric dynamics. Additional targets of 
  the mission are the exploration of the ground surface and the observation 
  of zodiacal light. 

  Regular science operations were ultimately conducted May 2016 through 
  April 2018, with extended operations thereafter.

 UPDATE (2016-Mar-26):
  Another maneuver lowered apoapsis to 330000 km and shortened the orbit period
  to 9 days. 

 UPDATE (2015-Dec-07):
  The second orbit insertion attempt, a 20 minute burn, was successful and the
  spacecraft is orbiting Venus. Initial orbit was 400 x 44000 km from surface
  with period 13.5833 days.

 UPDATE (2014-Dec-16):
  A second Venus orbit insertion maneuver attempt will be made in December 2015.
  This will require 4 manuevers between 2015-Jul-17 and 2015-Sep-11.

 UPDATE (2010-Dec-08):
  Orbit insertion failed at Venus on Dec 6, 2010 23:49 UTC. The spacecraft 
  entered safe mode prior to completing the orbit insertion burn, so continued 
  past the planet.  Another attempt may be possible in 6 years if spacecraft 
  systems survive. [Salt deposits jamming the valve between the helium 
  pressurization tank and the fuel tank were later determined to be the
  cause of the malfunction].

 SPACECRAFT  
  * Box shape with two wing-type solar array paddles
    (1.04 meters x 1.45 meters x 1.4 meters)
  * Mass at liftoff: about 500 kg
  * Mass of science payload: 34 kg
  * Generated Power in Venus Orbit: 700 W to about 500 W (at end of mission)

 SCIENTIFIFC EQUIPMENT
  - 1-m camera (IR1) / Low stratus, vapor, active volcanism
  - 2-m camera (IR2) / Low stratus, trace gasses, zodiacal light
  - Long wave infrared camera (LIR) / Cloud-top temperature distribution
  - Ultraviolet imager (UVI) / Cloud-top ultraviolet absorber, SO2
  - Lightening and airglow camera: (LAC)/Lightning flash, high-stratus airglow 
     emission
  - Ultra-stable Oscillator (USO) / Atmospheric temperature structure

 SPACECRAFT TRAJECTORY (ISAS/JAXA/JPL navigation team): 
   Planetary ephemeris: DE423 to 2015-04-08 06:00:00, DE430 thereafter. 

   Final reconstruction fit to tracking data up to 2024-Apr-26.
   Preliminary solution 2024-Apr-26 to 2025-Jul-23, prediction thereafter.

   Trajectory name                            Start (TDB)         Stop (TDB)
   --------------------------------------   -----------------   ---------------
   vco_2010_v01 ....... vc_2024_v01         2010-May-21 00:53     2024-Apr-26
   *-ISAS.OEM                               2024-Apr-26           2025-Aug-24
*******************************************************************************

No ephemeris for target "Planet-C (spacecraft)" after A.D. 2025-AUG-23 23:58:50.8172 UT