JAXA

Type: Government Agency (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)

JAXA is operating at the frontier of both ADR technology and ADR regulation simultaneously — a combination no other agency currently matches. On the technical side, the JAXA/Astroscale CRD2 (Commercial Removal of Debris Demonstration) program has completed Phase 1 (proximity operations within 15 meters of a derelict Japanese rocket body) and is on track for Phase 2 (actual debris capture and deorbit) in 2027. On the regulatory side, Japan is the nation developing the first proposed binding international ADR legal framework, to be presented at UN COPUOS in 2026.

Japan's domestic policy foundation is also more advanced than most: the Cabinet Office published Guidelines on License to Operate Spacecraft Performing On-Orbit Servicing in November 2021, creating a legal framework for safe, transparent on-orbit servicing operations. Astroscale, the primary execution arm of Japan's ADR program, is a Japanese-founded company that has become the global market leader in satellite servicing.

The COPUOS proposal addresses the Outer Space Treaty's fundamental gap: debris objects remain property of their launching state, but there is no legal mechanism for one nation to remove another's debris even with consent. Japan's framework would create that mechanism — a critical step because Kessler Syndrome is a global commons problem that national policy cannot fully address unilaterally.

Key Programs

• CRD2 Phase 1 (completed): ADRAS-J spacecraft acquired imagery of a defunct Japanese rocket body from within 15 meters — closest proximity operations to non-cooperative debris ever performed
• CRD2 Phase 2 (2027): Actual debris capture and deorbit — will be the first operational debris removal mission if successful
• COPUOS ADR Framework (2026 proposal): First proposed binding international rules for cross-border debris removal

Domestic Regulatory Leadership

• November 2021: Cabinet Office On-Orbit Servicing Guidelines — first national framework for OOS licensing
• Japan positioning as global ADR regulatory leader alongside technical capability

Key Contributions

• CRD2 Phase 1 achieved 15-meter proximity to non-cooperative debris (Japan ADR Framework)
• Japan developing first binding international ADR legal framework for COPUOS 2026 (Japan ADR Framework)
• Domestic OOS licensing framework published 2021 (Japan ADR Framework)

Mentioned In

• Active Debris Removal — CRD2 program lead; COPUOS framework
• Space Debris Mitigation — International regulatory initiative

Related Entities

• Astroscale — CRD2 execution partner; Japanese company
• ESA — Co-leading global debris regulatory convergence