ADRAS-J (Active Debris Removal), un satellite di Astroscale, ha raggiunto e fotografato un detrito in orbita.
The image was taken by its commercial debris inspection demonstration satellite, Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J), from several hundred meters behind the space debris, a rocket upper stage. The unprecedented image marks a crucial step towards understanding and addressing the challenges posed by space debris, driving progress toward a safer and more sustainable space environment.
Un articolo della BBC dà qualche informazione in più sul detrito.
The object is a discarded rocket segment that’s about 11m by 4m (36ft by 15ft), with a mass of three tonnes. […] The one in the new image came from Japan’s H-IIA launch vehicle, which lofted a CO2-measuring spacecraft called Gosat, in 2009. The upper-section of the rocket ejected Gosat at an altitude of roughly 600km.