The space debris cleanup mission launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has achieved one of its major goals. The commercial demonstration of debris removal involved a collaboration between JAXA and the Japanese company Astroscale, which launched the ADRAS-J satellite to demonstrate the capabilities needed to de-orbit space debris.
Cleaning up space debris: one step forward
Last Friday, the two entities revealed that they had achieved one of the main objectives of the mission: to approach a target and observe it from a fixed point providing continuous images of the high quality and required volume of data. The observed target was the upper stage of an H-IIA rocket, launched in 2009 to carry the greenhouse gas observation satellite into space.
Images captured by the ADRAS-J satellite, which was only 50 meters away from the target, clearly show the upper stage of the H-IIA rocket. These images demonstrate that Japan’s goal of developing commercial space cleaning services is progressing satisfactorily.
New technology minister in India
The Indian government has recently appointed a new minister for a key technology portfolio. Ashwini Vaishnaw, a minister in the previous government, has retained her position in the Cabinet along with the portfolios of Railways, Information and Transmissionand Electronics and Information Technology. Jitin Prasada has been appointed as the minister of state for Electronics and Information Technology, replacing Rajeev Chandrasekhar who has decided to end his political career.
Robotic dog to detect pollution in Hong Kong
The Hong Kong government has tested a robotic dog to detect pollution. Environmental officials currently rely on their sense of smell to identify pollution sources, according to a study published Sunday. The robotic dogaccording to Law Chi-wing, a senior officer at the Department of Environmental Protection, “provides objective data and quickly tracks the location of pollution sources.”
The department envisions a future where this gas-sniffing robot could replace human investigators in investigating hazardous pollution, improving both the efficiency of investigations and the job safety of investigators.
Have you ever wondered how you could contribute to space cleanup or the fight against pollution in your community? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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