The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has lost contact with the only active Venus probe, Akatsuki.
Sad news: JAXA's Akatsuki loses contact
The Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences "has lost contact with Akatsuki following an operation in late April due to an extended period of low attitude stability control mode and is currently making efforts to re-establish communications with the spacecraft," the space agency said.
JAXA's Akatsuki may have been late and held out, but other Japanese space effort dearMoon is late and canceled.
The update on what was billed as the first civilian flight around the moon was posted [PDF] on the mission's website Saturday.
