Rocket Lab launched an ambitious satellite to examine space junk for Japanese company Astroscale on Sunday morning (February 18).
Astroscale's ADRAS-J satellite was lifted atop an Electron rocket from the Rocket Lab launch site in New Zealand today at 9:52 a.m. EDT (1452 GMT; 3:52 a.m. New Zealand local time on February 19). The satellite was designed to examine a large piece of space junk: the stage of a defunct Japanese H-2A rocket in low Earth orbit.
“The ADRAS-J mission will be the world’s first attempt to safely approach a large piece of existing debris and characterize it through rendezvous and proximity operations,” Astroscale CEO and founder Nobuo Okada said in a video statement.
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ADRAS-J stands for “Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan.” True to its name, the satellite will attempt to make progress in humanity's battle against space junk, a problem that continues to grow as more and more satellites are launched into orbit.
“The mission is the first phase of the orbital debris removal program, during which ADRAS-J is designed to test techniques and processes for approaching and observing debris objects,” Rocket Lab representatives wrote in a letter. Task description.
The 330-pound (150 kg) ADRAS-J will also provide “data to help remove [space junk]“To ensure the sustainable use of space for future generations,” they added.
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Such work is the main focus of Astroscale, which was founded in 2013 and has subsidiaries in the UK, US, France and Israel.
In 2021, for example, the company launched an experimental mission called ELSA-d, which captured a piece of simulated debris in orbit using a magnetic system. In 2026, Astroscale plans to capture and deorbit two defunct British satellites, in a mission called COSMIC (“Clean Up Outer Space Mission through Innovative Capture”).
“ADRAS-J is a pioneering mission that unlocks a range of orbital capabilities that will lead to a sustainable future in space,” Okada said.
Related: 6 things that could cause the end of the world due to space debris
Electron successfully deployed ADRAS-J about 373 miles (600 kilometers) above Earth 64.5 minutes after liftoff. This is the orbital neighborhood occupied by the ADRAS-J target: the upper stage of the Japanese H-2A rocket that launched the GOSAT Earth observation satellite in 2009.
“ADRAS-J will fly around the stage 11 meters long and four meters in diameter [36 by 13 feet]“And examined it with cameras,” Rocket Lab wrote in the mission description. “After deployment from Electron, the full Astroscale mission will take between three and six months to complete.”
The On Closer Inspection mission will be Rocket Lab's 44th mission overall and second in 2024. On the previous flight this year, which launched on January 31, Rocket Lab retrieved the Electron first stage from the sea, as part of its ongoing effort to make the rocket Electron . Reusable booster. Rocket Lab representatives said there will be no recovery of the rockets on today's mission.
Editor's Note: This story was updated at 10:28 a.m. ET to note the successful initial launch of Rocket Lab's On Closer Inspection mission.
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