“Here it is, the world’s first image of space debris taken during a date!” – Astroscale announced by publishing a photo.
ADRAS-J was launched into orbit on February 18 aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket. The main mission of the 150-kilogram probe is to rendezvous with the Japanese H-2A rocket that launched the GOSAT Earth observation satellite in 2009 and examine its upper stage.
According to Astroscale, this will help prove the effectiveness of technologies that will allow servicing satellites or removing space debris in the future.
This month ADRAS-J came within a few hundred kilometers of the stage (11 m long and 4 m wide). Then the “approach phase” began, several maneuvers reduced the distance to several hundred meters – this was captured in a historical photo.
New pictures will come soon. “The next phase of the mission is a series of maneuvers and photography of the upper stage,” says Astroscale. “The data collected is critical to understanding the debris problem and developing future orbital clearance techniques.”
According to many experts, large debris must be removed for the safety of space flights.
Source: Ferra
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