Rocket Lab’s Electron successfully launched an Astroscale spacecraft that will rendezvous with and inspect a spent upper stage in low Earth orbit. The ADRAS-J spacecraft, developed by Astroscale as part of the CRD2 program, aims to approach and assess the condition of an H-2A rocket’s upper stage.
The ADRAS-J mission marks a significant step in advancing technologies for rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) in space. Astroscale officials anticipate that the mission will demonstrate the most challenging aspects of RPO technologies, ultimately paving the way for future debris removal missions.
The ADRAS-J spacecraft was completed last fall but faced delays due to a September Electron launch failure. Despite the setback, Astroscale remained committed to launching with Rocket Lab and is now focused on achieving the mission’s objectives in the coming months.
