Kounotori 8 Explained

Kounotori 8
Mission Type:ISS resupply
Operator:JAXA
Cospar Id:2019-062A
Satcat:44546
Mission Duration:40 days
Spacecraft:Kounotori 8
Spacecraft Type:HTV
Manufacturer:Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Launch Mass:15800 kg [1]
Dry Mass:10500 kg
Payload Mass:5300 kg
Dimensions:9.8 metre of long,
4.4 metre of diameter
Launch Date:24 September 2019,
16:05:05 UTC[2]
Launch Rocket:H-IIB No. 8
Launch Site:Tanegashima, Yoshinobu-2
Launch Contractor:Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Disposal Type:Deorbited
Decay Date:3 November 2019
Orbit Reference:Geocentric orbit
Orbit Regime:Low Earth orbit
Orbit Inclination:51.66°
Apsis:gee
Docking:
Docking Type:berth
Capture Date:28 September 2019,
11:12 UTC [3]
Docking Date:28 September 2019,
14:09 UTC [4]
Undocking Date:1 November 2019, 13:45 UTC [5]
Release Date:1 November 2019, 17:21 UTC [6] [7]
Time Docked:34 days
Cargo Mass:5300 kg
Cargo Mass Press:3400 kg
Cargo Mass Unpress:1900 kg
Programme:HTV ISS Resupply
Previous Mission:Kounotori 7
Next Mission:Kounotori 9

, also known as HTV-8 was the 8th flight of the H-II Transfer Vehicle, a robotic cargo spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station. It was launched on 24 September 2019, 16:05:05 UTC.

Spacecraft

Major changes from previous Kounotori are:

Cargo

Kounotori 8 carries about 5300 kg of cargo, consisting of 3400 kg in the pressurized compartment and 1900 kg in the unpressurized compartment.

Cargo in the Pressurized Logistics Carrier (PLC) include:

In the Unpressurized Logistics Carrier (ULC), Kounotori 8 carries six lithium-ion batteries Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) for replacing the ISS's existing nickel-hydrogen batteries. The transportation of replacement batteries is a continuation from the previous Kounotori 6 and 7, and will continue through to Kounotori 9.

Operation

Launch

The H-IIB launch vehicle carrying Kounotori 8 was initially scheduled to be launched at 21:33:29 UTC, 10 September 2019.[9] [10] During launch preparation, a fire broke out at the launch pad at around 18:05 UTC (T minus 3.5 hours), and the launch was called off.[11] The cause of fire was attributed to the static electricity on the heat resistant material under the mixture of liquid oxygen and gas oxygen for the engine pre-cooling.[12]

After the modification to the mobile launch platform to suppress static electricity, a new launch was scheduled at 23 September 2019, 16:30 UTC,[12] but the collision avoidance check revealed that the 2nd stage of the launch vehicle might approach near the Soyuz MS-15 which was scheduled to be launched on 25 September 2019. A revised launch schedule was set for 16:05 UTC, 24 September 2019.[13] On 24 September 2019, 16:05:05 UTC, the Kounotori 8 aboard H-IIB was launched successfully.

Operation while berthed to the ISS

Kounotori 8 was captured by the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) at 23:13 UTC, on 27 September 2019,[14] and berthed at Harmony's nadir Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) by 17:55 UTC, on 28 September 2019.[15]

The External Palette (EP8), which carries the lithium-ion battery Orbital Replacement Units (ORU), was extracted from the Kounotori 8's Unpressurized Logistics Carrier (ULC) by the SSRMS (Canadarm2) on 29 September 2019.[16]

The External Palette of Kounotori 7 (EP7) was placed in the Kounotori 8's ULC.[17] EP7 was left on the ISS after the departure of Kounotori 7 due to the schedule change of extravehicular activity after the launch failure of Soyuz MS-10.

Departure and reentry to the Earth atmosphere

On 1 November 2019, Kounotori 8 was detached from Harmony's CBM by the SSRMS (Canadarm2), and it was released into orbit at 17:20 UTC.[18]

It was disposed by the destructive reentry to the Earth atmosphere at around 02:09 UTC, on 3 November 2019.[19]

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2019-062A - 14 May 2020 - 20 May 2020
  2. https://spaceflightnow.com/2019/09/24/h-2b-htv-8-mission-status-center-2/ Live coverage: Japanese cargo freighter set for launch to ISS
  3. http://www.spacefacts.de/iss/english/exp_60.htm ISS: Expedition 60
  4. https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2019/09/28/japans-kounotori-spaceship-attached-to-station-2/ Japan's Kounotori Spaceship Attached to Station
  5. Web site: Kounotori 8 was unberthed of Harmony. 1 November 2019 . iss.jaxa.jp. JAXA. 10 November 2019.
  6. planet4589. 1190377806171119623. 1 November 2019. Aboard ISS, Japanese cargo ship HTV-8 was unberthed around 1230 UTC and released into orbit at 17:21 UTC. HTV-8 will carry out destructive deorbit over the South Pacific tomorrow night..
  7. http://www.spacefacts.de/iss/english/exp_61.htm Expedition 61
  8. Web site: JAXA to launch eighth HTV space station cargo mission in September. Spaceflight Now.
  9. Web site: Launch Schedule of the H-II Transfer Vehicle Kounotori 8 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 8. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. 29 July 2019. 12 September 2019.
  10. Web site: Launch Time of the H-II Transfer Vehicle Kounotori 8 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 8. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. 9 September 2019. 12 September 2019.
  11. Web site: Launch Canceled, H-II Transfer Vehicle Kounotori 8 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 8. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. 11 September 2019. 12 September 2019.
  12. Web site: Updated Launch Schedule of the H-II Transfer Vehicle Kounotori 8 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 8. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. 20 September 2019. 25 September 2019.
  13. Web site: Updated Launch Schedule of the H-II Transfer Vehicle Kounotori 8 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 8. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. 21 September 2019. 25 September 2019.
  14. Web site: http://iss.jaxa.jp/htv/mission/htv-8/news/capture.html. ja:「こうのとり」8号機がSSRMSに把持されました. Japanese. JAXA. 28 September 2019. 3 October 2019.
  15. Web site: http://iss.jaxa.jp/htv/mission/htv-8/news/activation.html. ja:「こうのとり」8号機、ISSとの結合完了！. Japanese . JAXA. 29 September 2019. 3 October 2019.
  16. Web site: http://iss.jaxa.jp/htv/mission/htv-8/news/ep_stowed.html. ja:曝露パレットの収納完了. Japanese. JAXA. 1 October 2019. 3 October 2019.
  17. Web site: ISS Daily Summary Report – 10/01/2019. Bill. Keeter. NASA. ISS On-Orbit Status Report. 1 October 2019. 3 October 2019.
  18. Web site: Kounotori 8 Leaves the ISS. JAXA. 2 November 2019. 6 November 2019.
  19. Web site: Successful re-entry of H-II Transfer Vehicle "Kounotori 8" (HTV-8). JAXA. 3 November 2019. 6 November 2019.

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