On Monday, a Japanese company announced the successful launch of a spacecraft designed to inspect potentially hazardous human-made debris in Earth’s orbit.

The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates that there are approximately one million pieces of debris from satellites and rockets, each larger than a centimeter, posing a threat of “disabling a spacecraft.”

The Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan (ADRAS-J) has a specific mission to rendezvous with and examine the remnants of a Japanese H2A rocket that has been floating in space for the past 15 years, according to Astroscale Japan.

Launched from New Zealand at 1452 GMT on Sunday, the probe has made successful contact, and Astroscale is ready to commence operations, as stated by project manager Eijiro Atarashi, Phys.org reported.

While the exact location and orbital position of the H2A upper stage rocket body, launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2009 and roughly the size of a bus, are unknown, ADRAS-J will use Earth observation data to determine its estimated location.

The spacecraft will approach from a safe distance, capturing images to assess the structure’s movements and condition.

ADRAS-J, hailed as the first of its kind by Astroscale, was selected by JAXA for the initial phase of a program focused on removing large debris of Japanese origin, with collaboration from private companies.

Written by B.C. Begley