Rocket Lab's Electron, an orbital launch vehicle, has launched an Astroscale spacecraft. The launch is the second carried out so far by Rocket Lab in 2024, following the launch of four satellites for NorthStar Earth and Space in January.

The payload for this launch was the Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) spacecraft. The 150-kilogram satellite was released into an orbit of ~600 km 64 minutes after liftoff.

ADRAS-J was developed by Astroscale as Phase 1 of JAXA’s Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration (CRD2) program. ADRAS-J aims to approach and inspect the upper stage of a H-2A rocket, 11 meters in length and 4 meters in diameter, which launched the GOSAT Earth observation satellite in 2009. In the future, the CRD2 program intends to send a spacecraft to the upper stage to attempt to de-orbit it.

Analyst QuickTake: In October 2023 , Rocket Lab reported plans to launch the Rocket Lab Mission to Venus. This privately funded mission aims to search for evidence of life in the atmosphere of Venus and aims for a launch in December 2024. The mission will send a small spacecraft equipped with an autofluorescence nephelometer to detect organic compounds in droplets in the clouds of Venus.