Getting up close and personal with space junk
![A photograph of a H-2A upper stage discarded in Earth’s orbit, taken by Astroscale’s ADRAS-J spacecraft.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zC7zGjYNCiC8LvhDxj0B75Z0fO8=/167x0:1433x844/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73456702/Space_Debris_Image_Taken_from_50_Meters_by_Astroscales_ADRAS_J.0.png)
We’re getting a close look at some of the space junk that’s floating in space thanks to Tokyo-based company Astroscale Japan. New images taken from a distance of just 50 meters, show the discarded upper stage of a Japanese H-2A rocket that’s currently trapped in Earth’s orbit. They were taken by Astroscale’s Active Debris Removal (ADRAS-J) satellite following the spacecraft’s first fly-around observation of the debris.
ADRAS-J was launched on February 18th with the goal of collecting observational data that can be used to eventually remove large-scale space junk from orbit. The satellite has been monitoring the rocket’s upper stage for several months. The images were released after a test of the craft’s autonomous collision avoidance...