Rocket Lab USA, Inc. announced it has set the launch window for Astroscale?s orbital debris inspection demonstration mission. The ?On Closer Inspection? mission is scheduled to launch during a 14-day window that opens on February 19th NZDT.

The mission will lift-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand and will deploy the Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) satellite for Astroscale Japan Inc. The mission is the first phase of an orbital debris removal program, and during this phase ADRAS-J is designed to test technologies and operations for approaching and monitoring debris objects, also known as space junk, and delivering data that will assist in removing it, to ensure the sustainable use of space for future generations. After launching on Electron, the 150-kilogram ADRAS-J satellite will approach an aged, derelict rocket stage in orbit to observe it closely, understand how it behaves and determine potential methods for its assisted deorbiting in future. The rocket stage it will be observing is the Japanese H-2A upper stage left in low Earth orbit after the launch of the GOSAT Earth observation satellite in 2009.

ADRAS-J will fly around the stage, 11 meters long and four meters in diameter, inspecting it with cameras. After deployment from Electron, Astroscale?s full mission will take between three and six months to complete. To enable the rendezvous with a non-cooperative space object requires a dedicated launch, highly responsive mission planning and extremely tight margins on orbital parameters.

Rocket Lab only received the final perigee, apogee, and inclination from Astroscale 20 days before launch. Only then could argument of perigee targets for different days within the 14-day window be selected, essentially determining the timing of Electron Kick Stage burns to facilitate the unique elliptical orbit required depending on the launch date. The mission also demands highly accurate orbital insertion with tighter margins than required on most standard missions.

In addition, the exact T-0 will only be defined the day prior to launch and the required LTAN accuracy only allows for +/- 15 seconds. ?On Closer Inspection? will be Rocket Lab?s 2nd launch in 2024 and the 44th Electron mission overall.