The previous launch of a satellite by Japan's Astroscale only had one purpose, and it was to photograph the old and forgotten rockets that are left in the low-Earth orbit, showing off the massive collection of space garbage. Most things in orbit are forgotten spacecraft technology by different companies and space agencies, left to float around without anyone retrieving them.
Several efforts by different agencies are to deorbit or push it back to the planet to disintegrate, but most are left to rot in the cosmos.
Old, Forgotten Rockets in Orbit Photographed by Japan's Astroscale
Astroscale
It was revealed by a report from ArsTechnica that there are currently 2,000 dead, old, and forgotten rockets in orbit that are still mostly intact, and they make up a significant cause of the rising space garbage problem. The good thing is, there are efforts from the likes of Japan's Astroscale who are keeping tabs on the space junk present in the orbit and taking photographs of them.
This is through the satellite which they launched last February which hitched a ride with Rocket Lab, and it is called the ADRAS-1 (Active Debris Removal by Astroscale Japan). According to the company, it is the world's first debris inspection spacecraft which is part of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration Program.
Space Garbage Now: ADRAS-1's Successful Orbit Mission
The main mission of Astroscale's ADRAS-1 was to photograph the H-IIA rocket, this mission was completed last month, and it successfully gathered the data needed by engineers regarding the dead upper stage spacecraft. The ADRAS-1 centered on the method called rendezvous and proximity operation (RPO) to observe the space garbage, no longer needing to dock.
The Earth's Orbit and the Floating Space Junk
Earth's pollution on the ground has already gained massive awareness among the general public, and this has already sparked significant efforts and movement from humans, and there are also efforts for space. It was revealed by researchers and experts that there is a growing space junk problem in Earth's orbit, and if this problem worsens, it could trap humans on the planet should there be an international catastrophe.
While awareness is already on the rise, the efforts are still minimal from different companies and space agencies, but thereare already promising proposals and concepts that look to join the cause of cleaning up the orbit. Airbus introduced its development called the 'Detumbler' which will keep orbiting dead spacecraft from getting out of line and potentially fall back into the planet.
Currently, companies are already looking for ways to dispose of these kinds of floating objects beyond the skies, and it is not only to protect humans but also to avoid polluting the new frontier. Japan's Astroscale is addressing it with a different approach, and this is by taking photographs of what is presently dead in orbit, offering a potential spotting method to keep tabs on the garbage.
