Astroscale's ADRAS-J satellite launched aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula at 3:52 a.m. NZDT on Sunday/Monday. The mission, known as "On Closer Inspection," aims to develop techniques for removing space debris by approaching and monitoring a discarded rocket body in orbit.

The ADRAS-J satellite, part of the Japanese space agency JAXA's Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration program, will observe the spent upper-stage rocket of an H-2A rocket launched in January 2009. Equipped with visual and infrared cameras, as well as LiDAR sensors, the satellite will assess the rocket body's condition and tumbling extent during its close approach.

Nobu Okada, founder and CEO of Astroscale, highlighted the challenges of capturing images in space of a fast-moving, unprepared object like the H-2A upper stage. The ADRAS-J spacecraft's successful deployment 64 minutes into flight marks Rocket Lab's 44th Electron launch and the company's second mission of 2024.

Astroscale, founded in 2013 with the mission of on-orbit servicing and space debris removal, is based in Japan with subsidiaries in the UK, US, France, and Israel. The ADRAS-J mission's success sets the stage for future endeavors in space debris removal, with a tentative mission to deorbit the rocket stage scheduled for 2026.