Akatsuki (meaning dawn), formerly known as PLANET-C and Venus Climate Orbiter (VCO), is a planned Japanese unmanned spacecraft to explore Venus currently planned for launch in May 2010, with arrival in December 2010 for a mission of two years or more. The Akatsuki spacecraft will be launched from Earth to Venus aboard a H-IIA (type 202) booster rocket; JAXA is allowing it to carrying your name and message.
The $100-million mission will conduct several scientific investigations including surface imaging with an infrared camera and experiments designed to confirm the presence of lightning and determine the existence or otherwise of current surface volcanism.
Akatsuki is not the first spacecraft to explore Venus; it will be the 27th mission launched from Earth. But Venus was the first planet to ever be reached by a space probe in 1962. The Mariner 2 spacecraft flew within 34,400 kilometers of the surface of Venus and transmitted to Earth information about its temperature and details about its atmosphereand rotational period.
The Orbiter of Pioneer Venus was launched on May 20, 1978. It entered an orbit around Venus in December of that same year. Most of the Orbiter instruments were still working when the probe entered the Venusian atmosphere in October of 1992.
The Soviet probe, Venera 7 was the first probe to land on Venus. Unfortunately, it was put out of operation within an hour by Venus' high temperature. In 1982, Venera 13 transmitted the first color pictures from Venus' surface.
The Magellan spacecraft, launched in 1989, arrived at Venus on August 10, 1990. Before its demise in October 1994, Magellan was able to collect radar images of 98% of Venus' surface.
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