Satellite captures unprecedented image of giant piece of space junk

Astroscale Japan Inc, a Japanese company working to clean up space debris, has just shared a remarkable image - the first photo of a piece of space junk at an extremely close distance.

The image was taken from a distance of just 50 meters by the Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) satellite camera system during the company's Active Debris Removal mission. The subject of the photo is a large piece of space debris measuring 11 meters by 4 meters. It is the upper stage of a Japanese H-IIA rocket, which has been circling the Earth in low Earth orbit since 2009.

Once ADRAS-J was within a few miles of the debris field, the team deployed an infrared camera that used a navigation algorithm to navigate safely. In May, ADRAS-J came within 50 meters of the landfill, enough to capture detailed images of the object. ADRAS-J will now attempt to move closer to the debris field to capture more detailed images.

The Japanese space agency has selected Astroscale for its Space Debris Removal Program (CRD2), and ADRAS-J is part of that initiative. Studying a piece of space junk up close allows Astroscale to fully understand the condition and movements of the object before it is destroyed. The data collected will allow scientists to launch another mission in the future to safely approach, “grab” the object with a robotic arm, and remove it from orbit, where it will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

Space debris in low Earth orbit includes not only old rocket parts, but also decommissioned satellites and even debris from collisions between these parts. NASA says there are millions of pieces of space junk orbiting the Earth at speeds of 18,000 miles per hour, posing a direct threat to active satellites, as well as the human habitat on the International Space Station and China’s new space station.

A series of international efforts have been underway over the years to find ways to safely and effectively remove the debris, which is estimated to total nearly 6,000 tonnes.