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Japanese Cargo Ship Sets Sail on Resupply Run to the International Space Station

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s H-IIB rocket launched Dec. 9 from the Tanegashima (pron: Tan-uh-GAH-shuh-mah) Space Center in southern Japan carrying the unpiloted “Kounotori” H-II Transfer V...

Kounotori 6 (HTV-6)

Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Resupply

Low Earth Orbit Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2 Tanegashima Space Center, Japan

This is the sixth flight of an uncrewed cargo spacecraft to International Space Station. It will bring the replacement for the batteries used on the Station to store electricity generated by solar panels, as well as 600 liters of potable water.

H-IIB

Family:
Configuration: 304

H-IIB (H2B) is an expendable launch system used to launch H-II Transfer Vehicles (HTV, or Kounotori) towards the International Space Station. H-IIB rockets are liquid-fuelled with solid-fuel strap-on boosters and are launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Mitsubishi and JAXA have been primarily responsible for design, manufacture, and operation of H-IIB.

Specifications
  • Max Stage
    2
  • Length
    56.6 m
  • Diameter
    5.2 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    551.0 T
  • Thrust
    9000.0 kN
Family
  • Name
    H-IIB
  • Family
  • Variant
    304
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    H-IIB 304
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $112500000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    16500.0 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
    8000.0 kg
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Kounotori 6


In-active Cargo Unmanned Payload Capacity: 6000 kg
Destination: International Space Station
Serial Number: HTV-6

Kounotori 6, also known as HTV-6, is the sixth flight of the H-II Transfer Vehicle, an unmanned cargo spacecraft launched to resupply the International Space Station. It was launched at 13:26:47 UTC on 9 December 2016 aboard H-IIB launch vehicle from Tanegashima Space Center.

H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) Details

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

(MHI)

President: Seiji Izumisawa Founded: 1884 Successes: 54 Failures: 1 Pending: 11

Agency Type:

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. is a Japanese multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group. MHI's products include aerospace components, air conditioners, aircraft, automotive components, forklift trucks, hydraulic equipment, machine tools, missiles, power generation equipment, printing machines, ships and space launch vehicles. Through its defense-related activities, it is the world's 23rd-largest defense contractor measured by 2011 defense revenues and the largest based in Japan.

INFO WIKI

Tanegashima Space Center, Japan

Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2


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