Space junk mission next up for Rocket Lab

The Astroscale ADRAS-J spacecraft has been integrated into Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket at Māhia and is ready for launch. The 14-day launch window opens on February 19.Picture by Rocket Lab

United States space company Rocket Lab is set to take out the trash in its next mission from Māhia.

The On Closer Inspection mission is scheduled to launch during a 14-day window that opens on February 19. It will deploy the Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) satellite.

The mission is the first phase of an orbital debris removal programme.

During this phase ADRAS-J is designed to test technologies and operations for approaching and monitoring debris objects, also known as space junk, and delivering data that will assist in removing it to ensure the sustainable use of space for future generations.

Astroscale founder and chief executive Nobu Okada said the mission held “immense significance”, not just for the future of space sustainability, but for pioneering advancements in rendezvous and proximity operations, which are essential technologies to deliver any on-orbit servicing such as debris removal.

After launching on Electron, the 150-kilogram satellite will approach an aged, derelict rocket stage in orbit to observe it closely, understand how it behaves and determine potential methods for its assisted deorbiting in the future.

The rocket stage it will be observing is the Japanese H-2A upper stage left in low Earth orbit after the launch of the GOSAT Earth observation satellite in 2009.

ADRAS-J will fly around the stage, 11 metres long and four metres in diameter, inspecting it with cameras.

After deployment from Electron, Astroscale’s full mission will take between three and six months to complete.

To enable rendezvous with a non-cooperative space object requires a dedicated launch, highly responsive mission planning and extremely tight margins on orbital parameters.

The mission also demands highly accurate orbital insertion with tighter margins than required on most standard missions.

“Electron is really the only vehicle capable of delivering such a complex mission on an expedited timeline,” Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck said.

“We’re immensely proud to be working with the Astroscale team in support of a pivotal mission that could have real, positive benefits for managing space sustainability for future generations.”