Weighing 3 tons: a probe for cleaning space debris saw an abandoned rocket in orbit (photo)

The device took a photo of a part of the rocket from a distance of only 50 meters. Astroscale Japan has published even more impressive pictures of a fragment of a Japanese missile in the Earth orbit, Space writes. In focus. Technology has appeared its Telegram channel. Subscribe not to miss the latest and most intrusive news from the world of science! The Japanese company Astroscale Japan has launched its Adras-J spacecraft designed to remove space debris on the Electron rocket on February 18, 2024.

This probe should check safe methods of convergence with space debris and study it in the Earth orbit. To check the capabilities of the spacecraft, Astroscale Japan has sent Adras-J to study and shoot the H-2A Japanese H-2A's Japanese Rocket. It was launched into space back in 2009. The company has posted new photos of a rocket fragment that flies in space against the ground. These images were reported to be taken from a distance of 50 meters from the upper stage H-2A.

The length of this part of the rocket is 11 meters, and it weighs 3 tons. In addition to shooting, the launch-carrier, the Adras-J, has demonstrated its ability to flew close to space debris and do not face them. Approaching the stage of the rocket, the probe stopped automatically at a safe distance and continued the study. Such maneuvers are most important, because many parts of rockets are not designed to descend from orbit.

The main task of Adras-J is to check the technology of controlled removal of non-working satellites and parts of missiles from the Earth orbit. Astroscale Japan has high hopes on adras-j. When the mission test is over, the company plans to move to the next stage that funds the Japanese Aerospace Research Agency.

At this stage of the mission, the Adras-J device should remove a large piece of space debris from the orbit, which was not designed taking into account that it will have to be dropped down from the orbit. Astroscale Japan believes that the next stage of this mission is important for solving the problem of space debris. As focus has already wrote, scientists believe that up to 60% of the Earth objects are mysterious bodies.