2010 in Spaceflight - Space Exploration

Space Exploration

Akatsuki, the first Japanese mission to Venus, was launched on an H-IIA carrier rocket in May. Despite a successful launch, the spacecraft failed to enter Cytherocentric orbit in December. It was intended to look for lightning and volcanoes on Venus. Engineers plan to re-attempt orbital insertion in 2016 or 2017 if the spacecraft is still operable. IKAROS, the first operational solar sail, was launched on the same rocket as Akatsuki.

The first Japanese asteroid probe, Hayabusa, returned to Earth on 13 June, having landed on 25143 Itokawa in an effort to collect samples. It was also the world's first successful sample return mission from an asteroid.

On 1 October at 10:59:57 UTC, China successfully launched the Chang'e-2 spacecraft, the nation's second mission to explore the Moon. A Long March 3C rocket was used for the launch, which occurred from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre. The spacecraft conducted a mission similar to that of the earlier Chang'e-1 spacecraft, but with a focus on mapping potential landing sites in preparation for the Chang'e-3 unmanned lunar lander.