Kounotori 7
Mission type | ISS resupply |
---|---|
Operator | JAXA |
COSPAR ID | 2018-073A |
SATCAT no. |
43630 |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Kounotori 7 |
Spacecraft type | HTV |
Manufacturer | MHI |
Launch mass | 16,500 kg (36,400 lb) |
Payload mass | 6,200 kg (13,700 lb) |
Dimensions | 9.8 m (32 ft) long x 4.4 m (14 ft) diameter |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 22 September 2018, 17:52:27 |
Rocket | H-IIB |
Launch site | LA-Y, Tanegashima |
Contractor | MHI |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Berthing at ISS | |
Berthing port | Harmony nadir or Unity nadir |
RMS capture | 27 September 2018 |
Berthing date | 27 September 2018, 12:00 |
Unberthing date | Planned : 22 November 2018 |
HTV ISS Resupply |
Kounotori 7 (こうのとり7号機), also known as HTV-7 is the seventh flight of the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), an unmanned cargo spacecraft launched on 22 September 2018 to resupply the International Space Station.[1]
Spacecraft specification
Major changes from previous Kounotori include:[2]
- Inclusion of HTV Small Re-entry Capsule (HSRC), described below.
- Reduction of primary batteries to five units, down from six of Kounotori 6, seven of Kounotori 2 through Kounotori 5.
- Replacement of Hardware Control Panel (HCP) by Portable Computer System (PCS). HCP was a dedicated control command box which allowed ISS crew to send control commands to Kounotori. For Kounotori 7, this is to be replaced by a portable (laptop) computer.
To enable HSRC retrieval, the destructive re-entry of Kounotori 7 and the splashdown of HSRC is planned to take place in the northwestern Pacific ocean near Minami-Tori-shima (Marcus Island), east of Bonin Islands and Northern Mariana Islands, instead of the southern Pacific ocean used by the previous missions.[2]
Reentry capsule
This Kounotori flight is planned to test the HTV Small Re-entry Capsule (HSRC), a reentry capsule similar in function to the VBK-Raduga carried onboard Progress flights to the Mir space station. Essentially a miniaturized HTV-R capsule, it will be carried in the pressurized section of the vehicle.[3] After departing from the station, ground control will remotely command Kounotori to release the capsule at an altitude of 300 km (190 mi).[4] The capsule incorporates nitrogen cold gas reaction control system with 3D printed nozzles,[5] and will autonomously perform attitude control to mitigate shock during descent.[4][6] Splash-landing off the coast of the Ogasawara Islands, the capsule will be retrieved by ship.[4] It will then be airlifted to Ibaraki Airport via Minami-Tori-shima, from where the samples will be delivered to researchers.[7] The capsule can contain a total of 20 kg of material (5 kg if the payload requires refrigeration).[4] The capsule has a diameter of 84 cm, a height of 66 cm, and a mass of less than 180 kg.[8] Tiger Corporation developed the capsule's double vacuum insulated container by applying technology used in vacuum flasks.[9] Some samples produced in the microgravity environment of the ISS deteriorate easily, thus a quick return to the surface is desired.[6] For this demonstration flight, samples including ISS-manufactured protein crystals are planned to be placed inside.[7][9]
On 22 October 2015, a high-altitude drop test of the capsule was successfully conducted off the coast of Taiki, Hokkaido.[10] A second test was conducted in 21 September 2016, with conditions and parameters closer to the actual capsule than the previous year's test.[11] The third and fourth drop tests were done in July and November 2017, respectively.[12]
Cargo
Kounotori 7 carries about 6.2 tonnes of cargo, consisting of 4.3 t in the pressurized compartment and 1.9 t in the unpressurized compartment.[13]
Cargo in the pressurized compartment (PLC) include:[13]
- HTV Small Re-entry Capsule (HSRC), and a specifically designed hatch of the pressurized compartment to mount the HSRC on departure from ISS.[14]
- NASA EXPRESS Rack 9B and 10B
- NASA Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG)
- ESA Life Support Rack (LSR)
- JAXA experiment Loop Heat Pipe Radiator (LHPR)
- CubeSats to be deployed into orbit from ISS: SPATIUM-I, RSP-00, STARS-Me
In the unpressurized compartment (ULC), Kounotori 7 carries lithium-ion batteries for replacing the ISS's existing nickel-hydrogen batteries. The transportation of replacement batteries is a continuation from the previous Kounotori 6, and will continue through to Kounotori 9.[15]
Operation
Launch and rendezvous with ISS
Initially Kounotori 7 was scheduled to launch at 22:32 UTC on 10 September 2018,[16] but was postponed due to bad weather forecast at a ground tracking station.[17] It was rescheduled to 13 September, 21:20 UTC,[18] but adverse weather forecast at the launch site pushed one day further to 14 September, 20:59:14 UTC.[19][20] During the preflight check, a problem was found in the blowoff valve of the launch vehicle second stage oxygen tank, and the launch was scrubbed.[21] After the problem was resolved, the launch was rescheduled to 21 September, ~18:15 UTC.[22] Bad weather forecast pushed it one day to ~2:52 UTC, 22 September 2018.[23]
The H-IIB launch vehicle carrying Kounotori 7 launched at 17:52:27 UTC on 22 September 2018. It arrived at the proximity of International Space Station on 27 September 2018, and the station's SSRMS grappled it at 11:36 UTC.[24]
References
- ↑ "Launch Schedule of the H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- 1 2 宇宙ステーション補給機「こうのとり」7号機(HTV7)の概要 (PDF). Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (in Japanese). JAXA. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ↑ "契約相手方の選定結果の公示" (PDF) (in Japanese). JAXA. 2014-08-08. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "日本独自の宇宙回収カプセル開発進む ISSの実験試料を迅速に研究者へ 有人船に応用も". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). March 18, 2018. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
- ↑ "コイワイ、ISS・実験回収機向けノズル開発 JAXAと連携". Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (in Japanese). November 11, 2016. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
- 1 2 "JAXA、帰還型カプセル運用開始 米スペースXに対抗". The Nikkei (in Japanese). April 7, 2018. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
- 1 2 "宇宙から落下、研究物質回収 JAXA実験へ". Saga Shimbun (in Japanese). July 12, 2017. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
- ↑ Clark, Stephen (22 September 2018). "New sample return capability launches with Japanese space station freighter". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- 1 2 "タイガー魔法瓶、JAXAと大気圏突入容器を開発 内部4℃に保つ". Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (in Japanese). July 19, 2017. Retrieved 2018-04-10.
- ↑ "Result of the high-altitude drop test of a simulated small return capsule to establish return technology". JAXA. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 2016-07-19.
- ↑ "物資回収技術の獲得に向けた宇宙ステーション補給機「こうとのり(HTV)」搭載型模擬小型回収カプセルの高空落下試験の結果について" (in Japanese). JAXA. 21 September 2016. Retrieved 2017-06-06.
- ↑ "High-altitude drop test results of a simulated small re-entry capsule for the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) KOUNOTORI". JAXA. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
- 1 2 宇宙ステーション補給機 「こうのとり」7 号機(HTV7) 【ミッションプレスキット】 (PDF) (in Japanese). JAXA. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
- ↑ 国際宇宙ステーション(ISS)に提供する実験装置(HTV搭載小型回収カプセル(HSRC))に関する安全審査結果について (PDF). Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. JAXA. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ↑ 「こうのとり」6号機へのISSバッテリ搭載作業、水充填装置のプレス公開. JAXA (in Japanese). 3 June 2016. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ↑ "Launch Schedule of the H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ↑ "Launch Postponed H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
- ↑ "Updated Launch Date, H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
- ↑ "Launch Postponed, H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
- ↑ "Launch Time of the H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
- ↑ "Today's Launch Cancellation, H-II Transfer Vehicle "KOUNOTORI7" aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
- ↑ H-IIBロケット7号機による宇宙ステーション補給機「こうのとり」7号機(HTV7)の打上げ日について (in Japanese). JAXA. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ↑ "Launch Postponed, H-II Transfer Vehicle "KOUNOTORI7" aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ↑ "SSRMS captures KOUNOTORI7". JAXA. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
External links
- HTV7 Mission (JAXA)