Jump to content

Kounotori 6

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Fukumoto (talk | contribs) at 10:03, 3 December 2016. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Kounotori 6
Mission typeISS resupply
OperatorJAXA
COSPAR ID2016-076A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.41881Edit this on Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeHTV
Start of mission
Launch dateDecember 9th 2016 [1]
RocketH-IIB 304[citation needed]
Launch siteTanegashima Y2
ContractorMitsubishi
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Inclination51.6 degrees
EpochPlanned
Berthing at ISS
Berthing portHarmony nadir
Cargo
Mass5.9 t
Pressurised3.9 t
Unpressurised1.9 t
 

Kounotori 6 (こうのとり6号機), also known as HTV-6, will be the sixth flight of the H-II Transfer Vehicle, an unmanned cargo spacecraft launched to resupply the International Space Station.

Originally scheduled for September 2016, the launch was postponed to December 9th due to piping leakage.[1]

Spacecraft

Major changes from previous Kounotori include:[2][3]

  • Built-in payloads to demonstrate new technologies: SFINKS and KITE, described below,
  • Reduction of primary batteries to 6 from previous 7,
  • Reduction of solar cell panels to 48 from previous 49,
  • Omission of some of navigation/position lights which were Earth-side when approaching to ISS.
  • Strengthened EP (Exposed Pallet) maximum payload to 1.9 t from previous 1.6 t to carry Li-ion batteries.

SFINKS (Solar Cell Film Array Sheet for Next Generation on Kounotori Six) will test thin film solar cells in space.[4]

KITE (Kounotori Integrated Tether Experiment) is an experimental electrodynamic tether (EDT).[5][6] The tether is equipped with a 20 kg end-mass, and will be 700 m long when deployed.[5] A maximum 10 mA current will run through the tether.[5] Kounotori's ISS rendezvous sensor will be utilized to measure how the end-mass moves during the test.[5] The EDT experiment will be conducted following Kounotori 6's departure from the ISS, and is to be held for a week.[5] After the experiment, the tether will be separated before the spacecraft proceeds with the de-orbit maneuvers. The main objective of this experiment is the orbital demonstration of both extending an uncoated bare-tether, and driving electric currents through the EDT.[6] These two technologies will contribute to gaining capabilities to remove space debris.[6]

Cargo

Kounotori 6 carries about 5.9 t of cargo, consisting of 3.9 t in PLC (Pressurised Logistics Carrier) and 1.9 t in ULC (Unpressurised Logistics Carrier).[7]

Cargo in the pressurized compartment includes 30 bags filled with potable water (600 liters),[8][9] food, crew commodities, CDRA Bed (Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly), TPF (Two-Phase Flow) experiment unit, PS-TEPC (Position-Sensitive Tissue Equivalent Proportional Chamber) radiation measurement instrument, ExHAM (Exposed Experiment Handrail Attachment Mechanism), HDTV-EF2 hi-def and 4K camera, new J-SSOD (JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer), and CubeSats (AOBA-Velox III, TuPOD which comprises two TubeSats (Tancredo-1 and OSNSAT), EGG, ITF-2, STARS-C, FREEDOM, WASEDA-SAT3).[10][11][7]

Cargo in the unpressurized compartment consists of six Lithium-ion batteries and their associated adapter plates to replace existing nickel-hydrogen batteries of the ISS. Since each of the new Li-ion battery has a capability equivalent to two of the current Ni-H batteries, the six new batteries will replace twelve old batteries, out of the 48 existing batteries of the ISS.[8]

On departure from the ISS, Kounotori 6 will carry 9 out of the 12 replaced old batteries which will be disposed by destructive reentry into Earth's atmosphere. The 3 remaining old batteries will stay on the ISS.[9]

Operation

Launch

On 26 July 2016, the launch was scheduled for 30 September 2016,[12] but on 10 August 2016, postponement was announced due to the leak from piping.[13]


References

  1. ^ a b "JAXA Press Release". JAXA. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  2. ^ JAXA (1 July 2016). 宇宙ステーション補給機「こうのとり」6号機（ＨＴＶ6）の概要（その2） (PDF). 宇宙開発利用部会 調査・安全小委員会（第19回）　配付資料 (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 July 2016. {{cite web}}: Invalid |script-title=: missing prefix (help)
  3. ^ JAXA (1 July 2016). 宇宙ステーション補給機「こうのとり」6号機（HTV6）の接近・係留・離脱フェーズに係る安全検証結果について (PDF). 宇宙開発利用部会 調査・安全小委員会（第19回）　配付資料 (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 July 2016. {{cite web}}: Invalid |script-title=: missing prefix (help)
  4. ^ "研究成果（より詳細な研究内容）" (in Japanese). JAXA Research and Development Directorate. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
  5. ^ a b c d e "HTV搭載導電性テザー実証実験の検討状況について" (PDF) (in Japanese). JAXA. 2013-09-04. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "JAXA、宇宙ゴミ除去技術の確立に向け「こうのとり」利用" (in Japanese). Response staff. 2013-09-09. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  7. ^ a b 宇宙ステーション補給機「こうのとり」6号機（HTV6）【ミッションプレスキット】 (PDF) (in Japanese). JAXA. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016. {{cite web}}: Invalid |script-title=: missing prefix (help)
  8. ^ a b 「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 (in Japanese). JAXA. June 3, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016. {{cite web}}: Invalid |script-title=: missing prefix (help)
  9. ^ a b 国際宇宙ステーション用バッテリ・飲料水充填装置説明会 (in Japanese). NVS. June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016. {{cite AV media}}: Invalid |script-title=: missing prefix (help)
  10. ^ 「こうのとり」6号機に搭載する超小型衛星7基を公開しました (in Japanese). JAXA. November 7, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016. {{cite web}}: Invalid |script-title=: missing prefix (help)
  11. ^ "TuPOD almost ready for launch". Group of Aerodynamics for the Use of Space Systems. July 27, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  12. ^ "Launch of the H-II Transfer Vehicle "KOUNOTORI6" (HTV6) aboard the H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 6". JAXA. 26 July 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  13. ^ "Launch Postponement of H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 6 with H-II Transfer Vehicle "KOUNOTORI6" (HTV6) Onboard". JAXA. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.

External links

Images

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kounotori_6&oldid=752794162"