Astroscale says 2027 ISSA-J1 mission will inspect two retired Japanese satellites

Astroscale Japan said on April 6, 2026 that it has finalized the target satellites and operating plan for ISSA-J1, a mission scheduled for launch in 2027. The company says the spacecraft will inspect two retired Japanese satellites in different orbits during a single mission, a capability it describes as a world first for a commercial operator if carried out as planned.

What happened

According to Astroscale, ISSA-J1 will approach and observe two defunct Japanese satellites: ALOS, the Advanced Land Observing Satellite known in Japan as Daichi, and ADEOS-II, the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-II known as Midori-II. The company says the mission will collect close-range imagery and other inspection data to assess each satellite’s condition, including its attitude, rotation and signs of long-term degradation.

The announcement added more detail to a project that Astroscale has already listed as being under development. Official mission material says the work is being carried out under Japan’s Small Business Innovation Research program through the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Phase 3 fund for large-scale technology demonstrations.

Astroscale says ISSA-J1 will first move toward ALOS, begin observations from a safe distance and then reduce that distance gradually without making physical contact. After that, the spacecraft is expected to leave ALOS’s orbit, transfer to a different orbital altitude and repeat the inspection process with ADEOS-II. Independent coverage in space trade media and Japanese business media describes that multi-orbit sequence as the key technical milestone.

The two targets are both long-retired satellites from the 2000s. ALOS operated until 2011, while ADEOS-II stopped operating in 2003. Astroscale and outside coverage say inspecting them up close could help operators understand how large spacecraft age in orbit and prepare for future servicing or debris-related missions.

Why this matters

For foreigners in Japan, this is not an immigration or policy story, but it is still relevant to how Japan is positioning itself in a high-technology sector with strong government backing. The sources show Japan supporting commercial in-orbit inspection and debris-management capabilities, an area tied to research, advanced manufacturing and long-term space infrastructure.

It also matters because safer satellite operations are not abstract. Earth observation, communications and disaster-response systems all depend on crowded orbital environments staying usable. The ISSA-J1 project suggests Japan wants a larger role in the practical side of orbital sustainability, not just satellite manufacturing. For foreign residents working in technology, investment, academia or aerospace-related fields, that makes this a useful signal about where Japanese public and private space efforts are heading.

Sources

• Astroscale announcement
• Astroscale ISSA-J1 mission page
• SatNews coverage
• Zaikei coverage in Japanese