Kounotori 7

Kounotori 7 (こうのとり7号機), also known as HTV-7, was the seventh flight of the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), an uncrewed cargo spacecraft launched on 22 September 2018 to resupply the International Space Station.[2]

Kounotori 7
Kounotori 7 grappled by the robotic arm
(Canadarm 2) of the International Space Station.
Mission typeISS resupply
OperatorJAXA
COSPAR ID2018-073A
SATCAT no.43630
Mission duration49 days
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftKounotori 7
Spacecraft typeH-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)
ManufacturerMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Launch mass15700 kg
Dry mass10500 kg
Payload mass5200 kg
Dimensions9.8 metres (32 ft) of long
4.4 metres (14 ft) of diameter
Start of mission
Launch date22 September 2018,
17:52:27 UTC
RocketH-IIB No. 7
Launch siteTanegashima, Yoshinobu-2
ContractorMitsubishi Heavy Industries
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited
Decay date10 November 2018
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Berthing at ISS
Berthing portHarmony nadir
RMS capture27 September 2018, 11:36 UTC
Berthing date27 September 2018, 18:08 UTC
Unberthing date6 November 2018, 23:32 UTC
RMS release7 November 2018, 16:50 UTC
Time berthed41 days
Cargo
Mass4764 kg [1]
Pressurised3397 kg
Unpressurised1367 kg
Fuel705 kg
Gaseous50 kg
Water420 kg
 

Spacecraft specification

Major changes from previous Kounotori include:[3]

  • Inclusion of the HTV Small Re-entry Capsule (HSRC).
  • Reduction of primary batteries to five units, down from six on Kounotori 6, and seven on Kounotori 2 through Kounotori 5
  • Replacement of Hardware Control Panel (HCP) by Portable Computer System (PCS), a dedicated control command box which allowed ISS crew to send control commands to Kounotori via a portable (laptop) computer.

To enable HSRC retrieval, the destructive re-entry of Kounotori 7 and the splashdown of HSRC was planned to take place in the northwestern Pacific Ocean near Minami-Tori-shima (Marcus Island), east of the Bonin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands, instead of the South Pacific used by the previous missions.[3]

Reentry capsule

Along with resupplying the ISS, this Kounotori flight tested the HTV Small Re-entry Capsule (HSRC), a reentry capsule similar in function to the VBK-Raduga carried on board Progress flights to the Mir space station. Essentially a miniaturized HTV-R capsule, it was carried in the pressurized section of the vehicle.[4] After departing from the station, ground control remotely commanded Kounotori to release the capsule at an altitude of 300 kilometres (190 mi).[5] The capsule used a nitrogen cold gas reaction control system with 3D-printed nozzles,[6] and autonomously performs attitude control to mitigate shock during descent.[5][7] The capsule was recovered by ship after splashing down off the coast of the Ogasawara Islands.[5] It was then airlifted to Ibaraki Airport via Minami-Tori-shima, from where the samples were delivered to researchers.[8] The capsule could contain a total of 20 kilograms of material (5 kilograms if the payload required refrigeration).[5] The capsule had a diameter of 84 cm, a height of 66 cm, and a mass of less than 180 kg.[9] Tiger Corporation developed the capsule's double vacuum insulated container by applying technology used in vacuum flasks.[10] Some samples produced in the microgravity environment of the ISS deteriorate easily, thus a quick return to the surface is desired.[7] For the demonstration flight, samples including ISS-manufactured protein crystals were placed inside.[8][10]

On 22 October 2015, a high-altitude drop test of the capsule was successfully conducted off the coast of Taiki, Hokkaido.[11] A second test was conducted on 21 September 2016, with conditions and parameters closer to the actual capsule than the previous year's test.[12] The third and fourth drop tests were done in July and November 2017, respectively.[13]

Cargo

Kounotori 7 carried about 6200 kg of cargo, consisting of 4300 kg in the pressurized compartment and 1900 kg in the unpressurized compartment.[14]

Cargo in the pressurized compartment (PLC) included:[14]

  • NASA EXPRESS Rack 9B and 10B
  • NASA Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG)
  • ESA Life Support Rack (LSR)
  • JAXA HTV Small Re-entry Capsule (HSRC), and a specifically designed hatch of the pressurized compartment to mount the HSRC on departure from ISS.[15][16]
  • JAXA experiment Loop Heat Pipe Radiator (LHPR)
  • CubeSats to be deployed into orbit from ISS: SPATIUM-I, RSP-00, STARS-Me

In the Unpressurized Logistic Carrier (ULC), Kounotori 7 carried 6 lithium-ion batteries Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) for replacing the ISS's existing nickel-hydrogen batteries. The transportation of replacement batteries was a continuation from the previous Kounotori 6 mission, and continued through to Kounotori 9.[16]

Operation

Launch and rendezvous with ISS

Initially Kounotori 7 was scheduled to launch at 22:32 UTC on 10 September 2018,[17] but was postponed due to bad weather forecast at a ground tracking station.[18] It was rescheduled to 13 September at 21:20 UTC,[19] but adverse weather forecast at the launch site pushed one day further to 14 September at 20:59:14 UTC.[20][21]

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.[22] After the problem was resolved, the launch was rescheduled to 21 September 2018 at 18:15 UTC.[23] Bad weather forecast pushed it one day to 17:52 UTC on 22 September 2018.[24]

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 Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) grappled it at 11:36 UTC.[25] Kounotori 7 was berthed to the ISS at 18:08 UTC on 27 September 2018.[26]

Operation while berthed to ISS

The Exposed Pallet (EP), which carries the replacement batteries for ISS, was extracted from Kounotori's Unpressurized Logistics Carrier (ULC) by the SSRMS (Canadarm2) and transferred to the Mobile Base System (MBS) Payload/Orbital Replacement Unit Accommodations (POA) on 28 September 2018.[27]

Due to the launch failure of Soyuz MS-10, planned extravehicular activity to replace the batteries of ISS could not be performed while the Kounotori 7 was berthed to ISS. The Exposed Pallet remained at the ISS after departure of Kounotori 7.

Departure from ISS and reentry to the Earth atmosphere

Kounotori 7 was demated from Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) of Harmony module by SSRMS at 23:32 UTC on 6 November 2018,[28] and it was released into orbit on 7 November 2018, 16:50 UTC.[29] After a series of trajectory control manoeuvres, the final deorbit burn completed at 21:14 UTC, on 10 November 2018.[30]

Separation of HTV Small Re-entry Capsule (HSRC) from Kounotori 7 was confirmed at 21:24 UTC. Estimated time of the reentry to Earth atmosphere (at 120 km altitude) of Kounotori 7 was 21:38 UTC, and the splashdown of residual debris at 21:48 - 22:12 UTC.[31]

Splashdown of HSRC was confirmed at 22:06 UTC, and it was retrieved by the recovery ship at 02:25, on 11 November 2018. The ship arrived at Minami-Tori-Shima on 19:50 UTC, on 12 November 2018. The retrieved specimen was transported by aircraft to Ibaraki Airport, and finally arrived at Tsukuba Space Center on 13 November 2018, at 00:42 UTC.[32]

References
  1. "Display Kounotori-7 2018-073A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. "Launch Schedule of the H-II Transfer Vehicle Kounotori 7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  3. 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.
  4. "契約相手方の選定結果の公示" (PDF) (in Japanese). JAXA. 8 August 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  5. "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). 18 March 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  6. "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). 11 November 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  7. "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). 7 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  8. "宇宙から落下、研究物質回収 ＪＡＸＡ実験へ". Saga Shimbun (in Japanese). 12 July 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  9. Clark, Stephen (22 September 2018). "New sample return capability launches with Japanese space station freighter". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  10. "タイガー魔法瓶、JAXAと大気圏突入容器を開発 内部４°Cに保つ". Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (in Japanese). 19 July 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  11. "Result of the high-altitude drop test of a simulated small return capsule to establish return technology". JAXA. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  12. "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 6 June 2017.
  13. "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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. "HTV7 Payload". JAXA. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  17. "Launch Schedule of the H-II Transfer Vehicle Kounotori 7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 13 July 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  18. "Launch Postponed H-II Transfer Vehicle Kounotori 7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 9 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  19. "Updated Launch Date, H-II Transfer Vehicle Kounotori 7 aboard H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  20. "Launch Postponed, H-II Transfer Vehicle Kounotori 7 aboard H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  21. "Launch Time of the H-II Transfer Vehicle Kounotori 7 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  22. "Today's Launch Cancellation, H-II Transfer Vehicle "Kounotori 7" aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 15 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  23. 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.
  24. "Launch Postponed, H-II Transfer Vehicle "Kounotori 7" aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 7". JAXA. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  25. "SSRMS captures Kounotori 7". JAXA. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  26. "H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI (HTV)". JAXA. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  27. Keeter, Bill (1 October 2018). "ISS Daily Summary Report – 10/01/2018". NASA. Retrieved 2 November 2018. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  28. "Kounotori 7 was unberthed from the nadir port of Harmony (Node 2) by the SSRMS". JAXA. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  29. "Kounotori 7 Leaves the ISS". JAXA. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  30. "Kounotori 7 finished final de-orbit maneuver for reentry". JAXA. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  31. "Successful re-entry of H-II Transfer Vehicle "Kounotori 7" (HTV-7)". JAXA. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  32. トピックス（2018年） (in Japanese). JAXA. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
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