Venus spacecraft loses connection with Japan, threatening planet's sole mission

Humanity's only mission in Venus is in limbo after a Japanese spacecraft went dark last month, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency confirmed.

The JAXA space agency said it lost communication with the Venus Climate Orbiter spacecraft that circled the terrestrial planet.

The probe, named Akatsuki, lost connection in late April during operations after difficulty maintaining attitude, JAXA said on its website. The spacecraft was in a control mode that failed to provide high accuracy for a long period of time.

Officials have been unable to restore service through various measures but the agency said they are "currently working on restoring communication."

Probe already exceeded designed lifespan

The probe has already surpassed the 4.5-year lifespan it was designed to have since its 2010 launch. Officials are currently deciding how they want to approach the probe's later stages of operation.

"We are currently considering our future response. We will announce our policy as soon as it has been decided," JAXA said in the update.

Japan's first space probe launched in May 21, 2010, aboard an H2-A rocket heading for Venus. It entered the planet's orbit by Dec. 7, 2015 after a previous attempt in 2010. The spacecraft's goal was to confirm lightning in thick clouds and search for signs of active volcanism.

Akatsuki is the only operational probe at Venus. The other two solar orbiters that fly by Venus, including one made by NASA and another by the European Space Agency, were not intended to examine the planet.