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Kounotori 7

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Kounotori 7
Mission typeISS resupply
OperatorJAXA
COSPAR ID2018-073A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.43630Edit this on Wikidata
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftKounotori 7
Spacecraft typeHTV
ManufacturerMHI
Launch mass16,500 kg (36,400 lb)
Payload mass6,200 kg (13,700 lb)
Dimensions9.8 m (32 ft) long x 4.4 m (14 ft) diameter
Start of mission
Launch date22 September 2018, 17:52:27
RocketH-IIB
Launch siteLA-Y, Tanegashima
ContractorMHI
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Berthing at ISS
Berthing portHarmony nadir or Unity nadir
RMS capture27 September 2018
Berthing date27 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

  1. ^ "Launch Schedule of the H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  2. ^ a b 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. {{cite web}}: Invalid |script-title=: missing prefix (help)
  3. ^ "契約相手方の選定結果の公示" (PDF) (in Japanese). JAXA. 2014-08-08. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d "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.
  5. ^ "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.
  6. ^ a b "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.
  7. ^ a b "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.
  8. ^ Clark, Stephen (22 September 2018). "New sample return capability launches with Japanese space station freighter". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  9. ^ a b "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.
  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.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ a b 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. {{cite web}}: Invalid |script-title=: missing prefix (help)
  14. ^ 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. {{cite web}}: Invalid |script-title=: missing prefix (help)
  15. ^ 「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. {{cite web}}: Invalid |script-title=: missing prefix (help)
  16. ^ "Launch Schedule of the H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  17. ^ "Launch Postponed H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  18. ^ "Updated Launch Date, H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  19. ^ "Launch Postponed, H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  20. ^ "Launch Time of the H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  21. ^ "Today's Launch Cancellation, H-II Transfer Vehicle "KOUNOTORI7" aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  22. ^ 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. {{cite web}}: Invalid |script-title=: missing prefix (help)
  23. ^ "Launch Postponed, H-II Transfer Vehicle "KOUNOTORI7" aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  24. ^ "SSRMS captures KOUNOTORI7". JAXA. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
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