A mission to clean up space debris launched by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully found one of its first targets, The Register reports.

The Japanese company Astroscale, together with JAXA, has launched the ADRAS-J satellite to demonstrate its capabilities to service satellites in orbit or to collect large pieces of space debris. The company plans to provide such services commercially.

The companies reported that one of the four objectives of the mission – to approach the object and observe it from a fixed angle – was successfully achieved.

The object of observation was the upper stage of the H-IIA rocket launched in 2009 to launch a greenhouse gas monitoring satellite into space.

Japanese satellite for “hunting” for space debris ADRAS-J has found its first “prey”

ADRAS-J took this image from a distance of only 50 meters from the upper stage.

Another Japanese company, EX-Fusion, wants to destroy space debris using ground-based lasers.