Private space-junk probe to conduct up-close inspection of spent rocket stage

A cube shaped satellite moves toward a spacecraft hovering above some snowy mountains on earth.

A space-junk removal satellite launched for Japanese company Astroscale has completed rendezvous maneuvers with its target and is commencing a proximity operations phase in which it will approach the other spacecraft.

The Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) satellite launched on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket on Feb. 18. It aims to get up close and analyze a Japanese H-2A rocket upper stage that launched the GOSAT Earth observation satellite in 2009, and in doing so, test technologies and operations for approaching and monitoring debris objects