Japanese probe enters orbit around Venus

The main engine of the spacecraft was fired late Monday in a maneuver intended to allow the Venus' gravity to capture the probe.

Akatsuki then lost contact with Earth as it moved behind Venus, the BBC reported.

Japanese scientists said they would know by late Tuesday whether the operation to insert the satellite into the correct orbit had been successful.

The 1,100-pound spacecraft carries five cameras that are sensitive in the infrared and ultraviolet parts of the electromagnetic spectrum to allow studies of the planet's surface through the thick cloud cover.

Akatsuki will not be alone at Venus; it will joing the European Space Agency's Venus Express craft that arrived at the planet in 2006, and the two spacecraft are due to conduct joint observations, the BBC said.

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