Japanese space cleaner’s first mission a success

J-STORIES – Cleaning the space one debris at a time. That might just be the motto of ADRAS-J, the commercial debris removal demonstration satellite, which shared the initial results of its mission. The satellite, which began its maiden mission in February, released images of its operations to the public. 

According to Astroscale Holdings, the company running ADRAS-J, this is the first photo of the large size space debris in orbit (see photo below). It shows the upper stage of the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 15, which launched the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite "IBUKI" (GOSAT) in January 2009. After the launch, this part remained in orbit as a large floating debris.It is about 11 meters in length, 4 meters in diameter, and about 3 tons in weight.

ADRAS-J, which stands for “Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan”, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astroscale Holdings, the world’s first private company specializing in cleaning space debris to make space operations safer and cleaner. Founded in 2013, the company formed collaboration ventures with international and domestic partners, including Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the UK Space Agency. The company aims to commercialize its services by 2030.

ADRAS-J satellite approached the debris in its orbit on February 22. On April 9, the satellite’s VisCam (visible light camera) got the debris’s position. Then the satellite began relative navigation using its onboard sensors to find out the direction of the debris. The satellite then closed the distance using this information. Using the IRCam (infrared camera), captured the debris at a distance of several kilometers. On April 16, the satellite began relative navigation using the debris’ information acquired by the IRcam. On April 17, the satellite approached the debris as close as several hundred meters behind it.

The challenge of the operation lies in locating and identifying the debris. Objects like satellite parts have limited information like shape, dimension, and distance. Technically speaking, these pieces of space junk are called ”non-cooperative objects” because of the difficulty in obtaining cooperation regarding positional data and altitude control. Rendezvous and Proximity Operations of debris while keeping track of its condition on orbit, such as its degradation status and rotation rate, is an essential technology for on-orbit services like debris removal.

The Tokyo-based Astroscale Holdings is the world's first private company specializing in space debris removal. Founded in 2013, it is aggressively developing its business with domestic and foreign partners, including Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the UK Space Agency, with the aim of commercializing its services by 2030.

Writing by  Desiderio Luna

Edited Takanori Isshiki 

Top page photo by Astroscale

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Click here for the Japanese version of the article.