ELSA-d, Astroscale’s debris removal satellite, to be launched in early 2020.Mitsunobu OkadaBorn in Hyogo Prefecture in 1973, he graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Tokyo, and earned an MBA from Purdue University in the United States. Serving at the Japanese Ministry of Finance, then in a management consulting fi rm and in IT businesses, he founded the space venture Astroscale in 2013, with the mission of removing space debris.already placed on the ISS, and both the ISS and the approaching spacecraft carefully maintain certain positions and attitudes to make the docking easier. But with space debris, which has lost its functionality, that is impossible. We need advanced technology that will acquire data about the shape of the object, its position, velocity, and other parameters, and approach it while it remains utterly passive. We are proposing that, by fitting every satellite with a ferromagnetic plate at the time of manufacture, the precision of detection and capture will be improved, allowing a significant cost reduction.” Although he is the founder of a space venture business, nothing in Okada’s previous career had anything to do with outer space. “My childhood dream was to be an astronaut. At the age of 15, I attended a NASA-sponsored event where I was able to meet the Japanese astronaut Mamoru Mohri. As I approached the age of 40 and wondered what I should do with the rest of my life, that dream was revived. I remember how, when giving me his autograph, Mohri had added a handwritten message that said ‘Space is waiting for your challenge,’ which was like getting a helpful push from behind.” Attending a conference on space issues brought the problem of debris to Okada’s attention. When he saw how the participating countries were all at a loss about how to solve it, the idea came to him, “This is a problem that I must solve.” With passion and a willingness to try innovative technologies, he has become a unique presence, driving the debris removal sector. “The development of space is indispensable to attaining SDGs (sustainable development goals), and that can only be done if space itself is a sustainable environment. Our mission is to contribute to ongoing space development by removing debris and thus maintaining a safe orbital environment for satellites.” Humanity benefi ts enormously from information provided by satellites, using the data for everything from daily activities to Earth environmental monitoring. Astroscale “Space Sweepers” team makes fi nal preparations to help keep Earth’s orbital environment operating smoothly—a breathtaking to international prosperity—the world is watching. As the contribution 27
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