Rocket Lab launches mission to clean up space junk

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket blasts off from its Māhia spaceport yesterday. The mission, named On Closer Inspection, successfully launched an Active Debris Removal satellite for space sustainability company Astroscale Japan Inc. Picture by Rocket Lab

A mission to help clean up space junk launched successfully from Rocket Lab’s Māhia spaceport yesterday.

The mission, named On Closer Inspection, deployed an orbital debris inspection satellite for Astroscale Japan Inc.

Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket deployed the Active Debris Removal satellite which was designed to test technologies and operations for approaching and monitoring debris objects in orbit, also known as space junk.

The mission is the first phase in assessing the potential for satellites to rendezvous with orbital debris objects and assist in deorbiting them, supporting space sustainability for future generations.

Following the successful launch on Electron, the 150-kilogram ADRAS-J 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 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, which is 11 metres long and four metres in diameter, inspecting it with cameras and sensors.

Astroscale’s full mission will take between three and six months to complete.

“Congratulations to the Astroscale team on this historic mission that paves the way for new and innovative ways to reduce orbital debris and ensure space remains safely accessible,” Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck said.

“It’s a real honour to provide a dedicated launch service and enable the kind of precise orbital manoeuvres required for an advanced mission like this.”

To enable the ADRAS-J satellite to rendezvous with the derelict H-2A upper stage in orbit, Rocket Lab had to design a mission with strict launch timing and precision orbital deployment parameters.

Rocket Lab only received the final perigee and apogee (closest and most distant points from Earth) and inclination from Astroscale 20 days before launch — parameters that are typically determined many months in advance of a launch. Only then could argument of perigee targets for different days within the launch window be selected, essentially determining the timing of Electron kick stage burns to facilitate the unique elliptical orbit required depending on the launch date.

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

The exact T-0 was only able to be defined the day prior to launch and the required LTAN accuracy only allows for +/- 15 seconds, demonstrating Rocket Lab’s capability to deliver rapid and responsive advanced guidance, navigation and control analysis.

“Today’s successful launch of ADRAS-J marks another milestone toward our efforts to grow the on-orbit servicing sector while creating a sustainable space environment,” Astroscale founder and chief executive Nobu Okada said.

“We are grateful for the collaboration with Rocket Lab, whose expertise in dedicated launch services has been instrumental to the start of this ground-breaking mission.”