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HTV spacecraft

by | Mar 24, 2020

Kounotori-8 unmanned cargo transporter

In this July 19, 2019 file photo, the Kounotori-8 unmanned cargo transporter is shown to the press at the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. Credit – KyodoKounotori-8 unmanned cargo transporter

The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)Kounotori (こうのとり, Kōnotori, “Oriental stork” or “white stork”), is built and developed in Japan.  The HTV is an unmanned cargo transfer spacecraft that delivers supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).The HTV launches from the Tanegashima Space Center aboard an H-IIB launch vehicle with up to 6,000kg of supplies. After the supplies are unloaded, the HTV is  loaded with waste materials, including used experiment equipment or used clothes. The HTV will then undock and separate from the ISS and reenter the atmosphere, incinerating the craft and all of it’s contents. While the HTV is berthed to the ISS, the crew can enter and remove the supplies from the HTV Pressurized Logistics Carrier.

HTV specifications

Item Specification
Length Approx. 10m (including thrusters)
Diameter Approx. 4.4m
Total Mass Approx. 10,500kg
Cargo capacity
(supplies and equipment)		 Approx. 6,000kg
-Pressurized cargo: 4,500kg
-Unpressurized cargo: 1,500kg
Cargo capacity (waste) Approx. 6,000kg
Target orbit to ISS Altitude: 350km to 460km
Inclination: 51.6 degrees
Maximum duration of a mission Solo flight: Approx. 100 hours
Stand-by (on orbit): More than a week
Berthed with the ISS: Maximum 30 days
Details of The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) Credit JAXA
KOUNOTORI5 unberthing Credit JAXA

Japan will launch a rocket carrying an unmanned cargo vessel to the International Space Station on May 21, science minister Koichi Hagiuda said Tuesday.

It will be the last mission for the current version of Kounotori, the cylindrical cargo transporter, before it is to be upgraded by 50 percent in its weight and capacity.

Kounotori, which means white stork in Japanese, transports up to six tons of food and experiment devices for astronauts.

Japan has successfully sent the cargo to the ISS in all eight attempts since 2009 using the H-2B rocket.

Beginning in fiscal 2021, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plan to use the next-generation H-3 rocket to send the upgraded Kounotori capable of carrying more supplies.

Mitsubishi Heavy said last fall that it is looking to develop the H-3 rocket capable of delivering heavy payloads to far-flung destinations in space after Japan agreed to take part in missions to the Moon led by the United States, making it necessary to send a cargo transporter much farther than its current scope of the ISS.

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), the global aerospace and national security contractor owned by SNC CEO Fatih Ozmen and Chairwoman and President Eren Ozmen, teamed with the Marubun Corporation of Tokyo, Japan and has been awarded a contract to supply critical hardware for Japan’s HTV-X cargo spacecraft.

HTV-X is the advanced version of H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV).  The spacecraft will provide supplies to the Kibō Japanese Experiment Module and the International Space Station for future servicing missions.

The HTV-X spacecraft is developed and operated by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), with primary sections of the vehicle being manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO).

“SNC is proud to service the space station in any capacity, and our services for the HTV-X vehicle show a great partnership between international and U.S. companies.  We are happy to help with any space exploration and science in low-Earth orbit,” said Bryan Helgesen, senior director business development for SNC’s Space Systems business area.

SNC has provided thousands of devices on hundreds of space missions for more than three decades, including more than eight sets of HTV cargo pallet restraint mechanisms, and more than 15 sets of CYGNUS cargo vehicle Passive Common Berthing Mechanisms and External / Visual Ranging Cue systems. For HTV-X, SNC will be able to leverage this extensive flight heritage and once again supply multiple key technologies.

HTV-X Mission Hardware Highlights:

  • HTV-X External / Visual Ranging Cue System:
    • Navigation lights activated on-orbit and prior to robotic arm deployment to assist in guiding the vehicle safely berth it to the space station.
  • Passive Common Berthing Mechanism:
    • The PCBM is a mechanical and structural interface required to safely and reliably attach a spacecraft to the space station.
  • Hatch Kit:
    • Allows astronauts to enter the vehicle and retrieve critical supplies, payloads and experiments.
  • Internal lighting system:
    • State-of-the-art solid-state lighting technology used to provide efficient mass and power solutions for navigation, crew and astronaut task lighting. This new technology replaces outdated fluorescent tubes.
  • Cabin pressure sensor: 
    • Unique sensor design suitable for the rigors of space flight while maintaining precision accuracy in monitoring atmospheric pressure inside the pressurized spacecraft (or HTV-X Cargo vehicle).

HTV-X exact launch dates are still to be determined.

 

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