Astroscale Holdings Inc., a Japanese developer of on-orbit servicing and related solutions, announced that the debris inspection demonstration satellite, Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) successfully completed its controlled fly-around operations of space debris, an H-2A rocket's upper stage.

The H-2A rocket, launched in 2009, was operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The rocket's upper stage is 11 m long, four meters in diameter, and weighs three tons.

The ADRAS-J satellite mission sustained its fixed position 50 m from the H-2A's upper stage and photographed images at various angles and lighting conditions.

This occasion marks Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO)'s first global endeavor to securely reach, characterize, and examine the state of an existing piece of large debris. The data recovered from the images will support future missions to capture and remove the H2-A's upper stage.

Analyst QuickTake: The company developed Astroscale's ADRAS-J for Phase 1 of JAXA's Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration (CRD2) program. In February 2024 , the ADRAS-J was launched aboard Electron, a Rocket Labs' orbital launch vehicle, with the satellite reaching an orbit of ~600 km.