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.
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.
The last H-II Transfer Vehicle "Kounotori" will be launched on an H-IIB 304 launch vehicle, carrying 6,200 kg (13,669 lbs) of supplies and science experiments to be conducted by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Kounotori 9 will be the last original HTV spacecaft : its successor scheduled to launch in February 2022 will be the first of the new HTV-X version.
Low Earth OrbitThis 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.
Low Earth OrbitA batch of 20 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
The Advanced Land Observing Satellite-4 (ALOS-4) is a Japanese satellite designed to observe the Earth's surface using a phased array type L-band syn…
Chinese communication geostationary satellite for unknown purposes.
Second batch of satellites for a reconnaissance satellite constellation built by SpaceX and Northrop Grumman for the National Reconnaissance Office t…
A batch of 23 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.