A Japanese probe has successfully entered the orbit of Venus, the country’s space agency confirmed today, five years after it missed on the first attempt due to an engine failure.

The Akatsuki, or Daybreak, was in an elliptical 13-day orbit between 400 and 440,000 kilometres away from the second planet from the sun, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Jaxa said.

The probe used four booster rockets to push itself into the correct flight path on Monday.

“Jaxa will also gradually adjust the orbit for shifting its elliptical orbit to the period of about nine days,” the agency said.

The Akatsuki is planned to spend the next two years observing the thick clouds and strong winds of Venus’ atmosphere.

Three of its six observation sensors have been tested since the course adjustment Monday, with the other three being checked, the agency said.

A first attempt to lock into Venus’ orbit shortly after the probe’s launch in 2010 failed due to a malfunction of the main engine.

The full observation operation is to start in April, Jaxa said.

- dpa