A view of a satellite approaching the wreckage of a rocket.
17:43 JST, February 19, 2024
Tokyo-based space industry startup Astroscale Japan Inc. announced Monday that it has successfully launched a satellite designed to access and observe space debris.
The company plans to use the satellite’s observations to develop the technology with the aim of commercializing space debris removal.
According to the company, the Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) was launched from New Zealand aboard a US space company rocket on Sunday at 11:52 pm. The satellite was released at an altitude of 600 kilometers in space and placed into its planned orbit.
ADRAS-J is approximately 1.2 meters high and 80 centimeters wide. Using multiple small propulsion units, it will approach pieces of space debris orbiting the Earth at high speed, possibly within several meters of distance. The satellite focuses on the wreckage of Japan’s H2A rocket, which was launched in 2009. The satellite will use on-board cameras and laser survey equipment to examine the missile’s damage.
The development of the satellite is part of a program by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), which aims to develop space debris removal technology in collaboration with private companies.
Astroscale hopes to use the data from the observation to develop a satellite equipped with a robotic arm for capturing and removing debris, the technology it wants to commercialize.
Project manager Eijiro Atarashi said: “This mission is the world’s first attempt to access and examine space debris.”
