Tokyo: Japan has successfully launched a spacecraft designed to inspect and potentially remove man-made space debris from around the Earth, according to a statement from Astroscale Japan on Monday.
The Active Debris Removal has been launched by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J). As per an AFP news agency report, it will rendezvous with and examine a Japanese H2A rocket remnant that has been in space for 15 years.
The H2A rocket body, about the size of a bus, was launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2009. Its precise location and orbital position are not known.
Launched from New Zealand, the ADRAS-J spacecraft has already made contact and is ready to begin operations said project manager Eijiro Atarashi in a statement.
Using observation data from Earth, the estimated location of the H2A rocket body will be determined, and ADRAS-J will approach it “from a safe distance” to gather images and assess its condition and movements.
Selected by JAXA for its debris removal programme, ADRAS-J, as per Astroscale is the first spacecraft of its kind, which aims to remove large debris of Japanese origin in collaboration with private companies.
As per the European Space Agency (ESA) estimates, there are around one million pieces of debris larger than a centimetre in orbit. These pieces of debris, which are big enough to “disable a spacecraft” pose a big threat.
The build-up of space debris, including used satellites and rocket parts, has been a growing concern since the space age began. Proposed solutions include using lasers to push debris into new orbits and Astroscale’s space “tow-truck,” which employs a magnet to collect and move out-of-service satellites.
The ADRAS-J mission follows Japan’s successful launch of its new flagship H3 rocket on Saturday, after years of delays and previous failed attempts. Additionally, Japan achieved a successful, albeit slightly off-kilter, unmanned probe landing on the Moon last month, making it the fifth country to accomplish a “soft” lunar landing.
