18 December 2024 – Astroscale Japan Inc., a subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc., the market leader in satellite servicing and long-term orbital sustainability across all orbits, has announced that it will transition to Phase II of the development for its ISSA-J1 (In-situ Space Situational Awareness-Japan 1) mission. This milestone marks significant progress toward imaging and diagnosing a large, defunct satellite in orbit. Astroscale Japan was selected under Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Small Business Innovation Research program to advance debris removal technologies. Phase I of the development focused on preliminary spacecraft design and navigation sensor development. The next phase will advance to detailed design, ground testing, assembly and mission operation preparations with funding of up to 6.31 billion yen (excluding tax). The mission is expected to continue through Phase III, with completion targeted for March 2028. Read more