A more ambitious step in on-orbit inspection
Japanese space sustainability company Astroscale says it will launch a mission in 2027 to inspect two retired Japanese satellites in orbit, aiming for what it describes as the world's first attempt to inspect multiple defunct spacecraft in different orbits on a single flight.
The mission, called In-situ Space Situational Awareness-Japan 1, or ISSA-J1, would extend the company's work in close-proximity operations and orbital servicing. According to the supplied report, the spacecraft will rendezvous with two non-operational satellites in separate orbits and visually inspect them in order to help determine the causes of their failures.
Why inspecting dead satellites matters
Inactive satellites are not just inert hardware. They are pieces of infrastructure left in orbit, and they can become sources of operational uncertainty for satellite operators and governments. A mission that can approach, image and assess defunct spacecraft gives engineers a way to understand what happened after a failure and to develop techniques that may later support debris mitigation or servicing missions.
ISSA-J1 is framed as an inspection mission rather than a removal mission. That distinction matters because it places the emphasis on situational awareness, diagnosis and orbital maneuvering capability. Before operators can repair, remove or safely manage non-cooperative objects, they first need reliable methods for approaching and observing them.
Built on ADRAS-J experience
The report says ISSA-J1 follows the earlier success of Astroscale's Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan mission, known as ADRAS-J, which captured close-up footage of a spent rocket stage in orbit. That earlier mission demonstrated that the company could conduct rendezvous and proximity operations around an unprepared object in space, one of the harder technical challenges in orbital servicing.
ISSA-J1 appears designed to take that expertise further. Instead of inspecting a single object, Astroscale plans to visit two separate satellites in different orbits. Doing so increases the navigational and operational complexity, because the spacecraft must sequence multiple rendezvous operations rather than execute a one-target campaign.
The spacecraft and its tools
According to the supplied text, ISSA-J1 will have a mass of 650 kilograms, or about 1,430 pounds. It will use a suite of thrusters and imaging systems to perform rendezvous and proximity operations. Those capabilities are central to the mission: the spacecraft must not only reach its targets, but also maneuver safely nearby and gather useful visual information.
The purpose of those inspections is practical. Astroscale says the mission will help determine why the satellites failed. That makes the spacecraft a kind of orbital investigator, collecting evidence after the fact in an environment where direct physical access is rarely possible.
A test of the orbital services market
Beyond the mission itself, ISSA-J1 points to the gradual expansion of commercial services in Earth orbit. The ability to inspect retired or failed satellites could become a foundational service for insurers, satellite owners and national space agencies as orbital traffic grows and spacecraft remain in service longer.
The company's framing also fits a wider industry push around space sustainability. Missions that improve awareness of what is happening to objects already in orbit can support future debris-removal, inspection and life-extension services. Even if ISSA-J1 is limited to visual assessment, its operational profile could help define what follow-on commercial servicing missions look like.
If launched on schedule in 2027, the mission will be watched closely not only for its technical execution but also for what it says about the next phase of orbital operations. Inspecting one dead spacecraft is already difficult. Inspecting two, in different orbits, in one mission would push that discipline into a more capable and commercially relevant category.
- Astroscale says ISSA-J1 will inspect two defunct Japanese satellites in 2027.
- The company describes it as the first mission of its kind across multiple orbits.
- The spacecraft will use thrusters and imaging systems for rendezvous and proximity operations.
- The mission is intended to help determine the causes of satellite failures.
This article is based on reporting by Space.com. Read the original article.
