A new ramping effort to clean up space garbage already made its way to orbit, with RocketLab's recent launch commissioned by Astroscale to bring the ADRAS-J demonstration satellite to its first mission. The new satellite may still be a demo satellite, but it is looking to test its capabilities with one space junk present on the low-Earth orbit (LEO) now, centering on JAXA's defunct rocket.
This is one of the first steps toward addressing the growing space pollution the world sees now, especially with the massive harm it can bring humans on the ground and in space alike.
Astroscale's ADRAS-J is Now in Orbit for Demonstration
(Photo : Astroscale)
RocketLab shared the decoupling of the Astroscale ADRAS-J demonstration satellite earlier today, with the company bringing the new spacecraft via its Electron rocket, one that will help against space junk during its stay. According to the company, Astroscale's ADRAS-J will soon begin its mission to rendezvous with JAXA's H-2A rocket, centering on its upper stage that is currently in orbit.
Astroscale said that its new ADRAS-J is ready to meet with several space debris in orbit, centering on space sustainability and cleanup efforts.
In this mission the ADRAS-J satellite will gather massive information and look into the state of selected space debris in orbit, determining possible missions to rid of the garbage.
ADRAS-J was commissioned by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) under Phase I of the Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration program which will focus on the H-2A rocket. This Japanese upper-stage rocket has been in orbit since 2009, and the ADRAS-J will supply the ground team with extensive information, taking images, and assessing its condition over the next months.
Space Junk and Its Massive Problem
Cleaning up the Earth is hard, and what more for the hard-to-reach areas like the low-Earth orbit where much space junk is residing, with some forgotten by its respective space agencies or companies already. While there is space garbage which is left behind, there are some who are results of failed missions, one that blew up upon reaching the cosmos.
There are massive ventures towards regulating the space junk present in orbit, with the pollution outside the Earth possibly bringing harm to humans in the long run. It was previously proposed and ruled by the Federal Communications Commission that satellites should be deorbited five years after their completion, one that would help avoid adding to the growing problem.
Various developments among space companies have already been made towards eliminating space junk or recollecting forgotten trash to avoid presenting more dangers to current missions, especially for the International Space Station. This recent venture from Astroscale, is targeting the defunct Japanese rocket, H-2A, with future efforts coming, depending on the satellite's demonstration.
