After 15 years of space exploration, the mission of the Japanese probe Akatsuki has concluded. This project marked a scientific milestone such as the First Japanese orbiter on Venus. In addition, he conquered the hearts of thousands of fans by transporting more than 13 thousand messages and illustrations dedicated to Hatsune Miku.
Hatsune Miku fan messages traveled into space with the Akatsuki mission
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (jaxa) announced on September 18, through a statement in X, the end of the probe’s mission Akatsuki After 15 years of operations. In the statement, JAXA He thanked the support received throughout the project. The ship had carried more than 13,000 messages and drawings from fans of Hatsune Miku. This turned the mission into a cross between science and pop culture.
contact with Akatsuki It was lost in April 2024 due to an incident in its attitude control system. Recovery maneuvers were attempted, but the probe had already exceeded its estimated useful life. Before it, JAXA He made the decision to officially close the mission.
Akatsuki was released on May 21, 2010 from the Space Center of Tanegashima aboard the H-IIA rocket. Before his departure, a campaign was organized that invited the public to send written messages and illustrations, Among them thousands of collaborations of fans of the virtual singer Hatsune Miku. These were engraved on aluminum plates and placed on the ship. Finally, the mission successfully completed its entry into the Venus orbit in December 2015.
With the closure of the mission akatsuki, Japan officially fires one of its most emblematic probes. For 15 years, he not only explored Venus and left key inputs, such as detection of the largest stationary gravity waves in the solar system, but also brought science and pop culture closer. The mission will be recorded both for its scientific achievements and for the unique connection it generated with followers from all over the world.
