Astroscale’s ADRAS-J spacecraft, a demonstration satellite that could inform future space junk cleanup efforts, is now in orbit after a successful launch from New Zealand on Sunday. The satellite was sent to space atop an Electron rocket from Rocket Lab. Its mission, which was selected by Japan’s space agency (JAXA) for Phase I of the Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration program, will see ADRAS-J rendezvous with an old Japanese rocket upper stage that’s been in orbit since 2009.
There it goes! 🛰️👋ADRAS-J is now in orbit, ready to start its mission of rendezvousing with an aging piece of space debris and observing it closely to determine whether it can be deorbited in future. Proud to be part of this innovative @astroscale_HQ mission studying ways to… pic.twitter.com/WcMexdBhHR— Rocket Lab (@RocketLab) February 18, 2024
The accumulation of waste in Earth’s orbit from decades of spaceflight is an issue of growing concern, and space agencies
