The Akatsuki space probe may have failed in its attempt to enter orbit around Venus earlier this month because much of its engine nozzle was damaged and fell off, sources at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Friday.
The nozzle might have broken after being overheated due to glitches in the fuel supply system, the sources said.
There is still a chance Akatsuki will enter orbit when it approaches Venus in six years if the thruster is pointed in the right direction, they said. The probe must keep operating for the next six years if it's going to get a second chance.
Developed at a cost of ¥25.2 billion, Akatsuki, which was launched May 21, is Japan's first planetary exploration mission since the failed Mars probe Nozomi, which was launched in 1998.
A series of technical glitches forced JAXA to give up trying to put Nozomi into orbit in 2003.