Wairoa, New Zealand – A small satellite launched from New Zealand on a mission to develop techniques for removing space debris by inspecting a discarded rocket body in orbit. The satellite, built by Japan-based Astroscale, was carried into space atop a Rocket Lab Electron from the Mahia Peninsula at 3:52 a.m. NZDT. This mission is part of the Japanese space agency’s (JAXA) Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration program.
The satellite, known as the Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan satellite or ADRAS-J, will approach and monitor the spent upper-stage rocket of an H-2A rocket that launched in January 2009. The purpose of this mission is to lay the groundwork for a future mission to deorbit the rocket stage, tentatively scheduled for 2026.
After being deployed 64 minutes into its flight, the ADRAS-J spacecraft will use ground-based observation data to initially close in on the derelict rocket body, then switch to on-board sensors to complete the rendezvous. Equipped with visual and infrared cameras and LiDAR sensors, the satellite will assess the rocket body’s condition and gauge the extent to which it might be tumbling.
Founder and CEO of Astroscale, Nobu Okada, emphasized the complexity of this mission, stating that capturing images of an unprepared object that does not provide any location data on its own and is moving at approximately 7.5 kilometers per second is extremely challenging. Astroscale, founded in 2013 with the goal of offering on-orbit servicing and space debris removal services, is headquartered in Japan and has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and Israel.