ADRAS-J Selected for the Minister of Defense Award

Astroscale Japan’s pioneering ADRAS-J mission has been selected for the Minister of Defense Award at the 7th Space Development and Utilization Awards!

Hosted by the Cabinet Office of the Japanese Government, these awards recognize projects that significantly advance space development and utilization. By honoring pioneering efforts, the program also aims to foster public awareness and support for Japan's growing presence in space.

The Minister of Defense Award specifically highlights the team's contributions to public safety and security, emphasizing our role in ensuring the stable use of outer space for future generations. This achievement is a testament to the talent and dedication of everyone behind the scenes who turned this vision into a reality.

In addition to achieving the historic 15-meter approach, ADRAS-J successfully completed all observations of the debris. This included two fly-around operations that confirmed no major damage to the PAF, followed by a third fly-around from a new angle of the upper stage.

These accomplishments have provided critical data to inform the follow-on ADRAS-J2 debris removal mission. They also further advanced Astroscale’s heritage rendezvous and proximity and inspection capabilities for a wide range of on-orbit services and set a new benchmark for space sustainability.