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Astroscale Japan Secures Contract for Phase II of JAXA’s Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration Program
The removal of the debris will be informed by ADRAS-J, which has successfully been gathering images and data of the rocket upper stage since its launch in February.
Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 20, 2024 – Astroscale Japan Inc. (“Astroscale Japan”), a subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc. (“Astroscale”), the market leader in satellite servicing and long-term orbital sustainability across all orbits, announced that it has signed a contract with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for Phase II of JAXA’s Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration (CRD2) program, one of the world’s first technology demonstrations of removing large-scale debris from orbit. The contract is valued at approximately 13.2 billion yen (including tax).
The CRD2 program aims to remove an unprepared Japanese upper stage rocket body, thereby addressing the increasingly critical issue of space debris. Unprepared objects in orbit pose an additional challenge as they have not been prepared with any technologies that enable docking or potential servicing or removal.
The program is contracted in two phases, and Astroscale Japan was also selected for Phase I, where the company was responsible for the design, manufacture, test, launch and operations of Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J). ADRAS-J is the world’s first mission to safely approach, characterize and survey the state of an existing piece of large debris through rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO). After demonstrating safe approach and proximity operations with the object that is the size of a city bus, ADRAS-J has been gathering images and data to assess its movement and structural condition.
The ADRAS-J follow-on active debris removal spacecraft, ADRAS-J2, will similarly attempt to safely approach the same rocket body through RPO, obtain further images, then remove and deorbit the rocket body using in-house robotic arm technologies.
The ADRAS-J mission recently achieved an unprecedented technical milestone for a commercial company: the controlled fly-around observations of the upper stage while maintaining a controlled fixed-point relative position of approximately 50 meters from the upper stage. The major mission achievements completed so far include:
Feb. 18: launch and start of in-orbit operations
Feb. 22: start of the rendezvous phase
Apr. 9: start of Angles Only Navigation and proximity approach from several hundred kilometers
Apr. 16: start of Model Matching Navigation
Apr. 17: approach to the client within several hundred meters
May 23: approach to the client within 50 meters.
May 23: first fixed-point observation completed.
Jun. 17: second fixed-point observation completed.
Jun. 19: start of fly-around operation and validation of collision avoidance system.
Jul. 14: approach to the client within 50 meters. Third fixed-point observation completed.
Jul. 15: successful second fly-around observation.
Jul. 16: successful third fly-around observation.
ADRAS-J2 will be key in driving global space debris mitigation and remediation efforts, while shaping a sustainable future in space.
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About Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration (CRD2)
Astroscale Japan has been selected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and contracted as the partner for CRD2 Phase I. This phase aims to demonstrate technologies for removing large pieces of debris, among other applications, and has led to the development of ADRAS-J. CRD2 represents a new initiative by JAXA, with two primary goals: to develop debris removal technologies to address the growing space debris issue and to foster the commercial endeavors of Japanese companies. This project is carried out with JAXA’s support, including technical guidance, testing facilities, and the rights to research findings’ intellectual property.
For more information, please visit the CRD2 website: https://www.kenkai.jaxa.jp/eng/crd2/
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About Astroscale
Astroscale is the global leader in on-orbit servicing, dedicated to the safe and sustainable development of space. The company delivers a variety of innovative and scalable on-orbit servicing solutions, including life extension, in-situ space situational awareness, end-of-life, and active debris removal. Since its first successful launch in March 2021, Astroscale has proven rendezvous and proximity operations technologies in orbit during the ELSA-d and ADRAS-J missions. Astroscale spacecraft have been selected for pioneering missions with JAXA, the U.S. Space Force, the European Space Agency, the UK Space Agency, and Eutelsat OneWeb. As more satellite operators adopt on-orbit servicing to routinely inspect, relocate, remove, and extend the life of spacecraft, the potential of a circular space economy — and a future of no waste in space — is being unlocked. Headquartered in Japan, Astroscale has a global presence with subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and Israel. www.astroscale.com.
