Kounotori 9

Kounotori 9 (こうのとり9号機), also known as HTV-9 was the 9th flight of the H-II Transfer Vehicle, a robotic cargo spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station (ISS).[4][5] It was launched on 20 May 2020, at 17:31:00 UTC.[6]

Kounotori 9
Mission typeISS resupply
OperatorJAXA
COSPAR ID2020-030A
SATCAT no.45607
Mission duration92 days
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftKounotori 9
Spacecraft typeH-II Transfer Vehicle
ManufacturerMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Launch mass16500 kg[1]
Payload mass6200 kg
Dimensions9.8 meters in length,
4.4 metres in diameter
Start of mission
Launch date20 May 2020, 17:31:00 UTC[2]
RocketH-IIB F9 (last)
Launch siteTanegashima, LA-Y2
ContractorMitsubishi Heavy Industries
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited
Decay date20 August 2020, 07:07 UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Epoch20 May 2020
Berthing at International Space Station
Berthing portHarmony nadir
RMS capture25 May 2020, 12:13 UTC[3]
Berthing date25 May 2020, 14:46 UTC[3]
Unberthing date18 August 2020, 13:51 UTC
RMS release18 August 2020, 17:36 UTC
Time berthed85 days, 2 hours, 50 minutes
Cargo
Mass6200 kg
Pressurised4300 kg
Unpressurised1900 kg
 

Kounotori 9 is the last HTV of the original model, with following missions replaced with the HTV-X.[4][7]

Spacecraft

Major difference from the previous Kounotori are:[8]

  • Camera assembly unit and Wireless LAN communication unit (WLD), described below.

Wireless LAN Demonstration

Wireless LAN Demonstration, or WLD (pronounced wild)[8] is an experiment that will be performed during Kounotori 9's flight. During the test, a video taken by Kounotori 9 will be broadcast in real time on board the space station, via a wireless LAN (WLAN) datalink.[9] The experiment will be conducting during Kounotori 9's approach, departure, and while berthed to the ISS.[10] For WLD, the spacecraft has a camera attached to its propulsion module, while a data processor and WLAN antenna is located at the Unpressurized Logistics Carrier's aperture.[8] The technology to be tested by WLD will enable ISS crews to monitor approaching vehicles during an autonomous docking.[11] According to JAXA, if successful this will be the first time for two spacecraft to communicate using WLAN during a rendezvous.[8]

Cargo

Kounotori 9 carried about 6200 kg of cargo mass, consisting of 4300 kg in the pressurized compartment and 1900 kg in the unpressurized compartment.[8] In addition to food items and crew commodities, the pressurized compartment (Pressurized Logistics Carrier; PLC)'s cargo consists of:[8]

  • JAXA cargo:
    • Solid Combustion Experiment Module (SCEM)
    • Integrated Standard Imager for Microsatellites (iSIM), a commercial technology demonstration payload by Satlantis
    • Equipment for the space media business collaboration (Space Frontier Studio KIBO)
    • Confocal Space Microscopy (COSMIC)
  • NASA cargo:

Cargo in the unpressurized compartment (Unpressurized Logistics Carrier, ULC) was the Exposed Pallet (EP9) which carries the six lithium-ion batteries Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) for replacing the ISS's existing nickel-hydrogen batteries. This was the last of the series of transportation of replacement batteries, following the previous Kounotori 6, Kounotori 7, and Kounotori 8.

On departure from ISS, Kounotori 9 was loaded with the Exposed Pallet of Kounotori 8 (EP8) carrying the replaced nickel-hydrogen batteries. It was left on ISS due to the missed extravehicular activity during the Kounotori 7 mission for the launch failure of Soyuz MS-10 in 2018. The Exposed Pallet of Kounotori 9 (EP9) was left on ISS, and subsequently, it was disposed of by jettisoning into orbit on 11 March 2021 using Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), carrying old nickel-hydrogen batteries.[1][12]

Operations

Launch
Kounotori 9 in proximity of ISS to be captured by the SSRMS

Kounotori 9 was launched aboard the ninth and final launch of H-IIB rocket on 20 May 2020, at 17:31:00 UTC.[2] The launch took place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, so that the usual launch viewing places were closed to spectators, and the local town offices requested not to visit for launch observation.[13]

After the successful launch, the Kounotori 9 arrived to the proximity of the International Space Station on 25 May 2020, and it was captured by SSRMS at 12:13 UTC.[14] It was mated to the Harmony's Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM). Berthing operation completed at 18:25 UTC.[15]

Operation while berthed to ISS

ISS crew opened the hatch of the Kounotori's PLC, and entered at 19:24 UTC.[16] Cargo transfer of the pressurized cargo by the crew began on 26 May 2020.[17]

Exposed Pallet (EP9), which carries lithium-ion batteries, was extracted from the ULC by the ground-operated SSRMS on 1 June 2020.[18] Then, Kounotori 8's Exposed Pallet (EP8), carrying old nickel-hydrogen batteries, was stowed into the ULC on 02:48 UTC, 2 June 2020.[19]

Departure and reentry to the Earth atmosphere

On 18 August 2020, Kounotori 9 was detached from Harmony's CBM by the SSRMS, and it was released into orbit at 17:36 UTC. It was disposed by the destructive reentry to the Earth atmosphere at around 07:07 UTC, on 20 August 2020.

References
  1. 宇宙ステーション補給機「こうのとり」9号機（HTV9）に係る安全対策について（調査審議結果） (PDF) (in Japanese). Working Group on Space Development and Utilization, MEXT. 19 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  2. "Launch Result of the H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI9 aboard the H-IIB Vehicle No. 9". Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  3. "Expedition 63". Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  4. Krebs, Gunter Dirk (11 July 2016). "HTV 1, ..., 9 (Kounotori 1, ..., 9)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  5. "HTV-Kounotori sets sail for the ISS". NASASpaceFlight.com. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  6. "Nasa launch announcement". NASA. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. Krebs, Gunter Dirk (11 July 2016). "HTV-X 1, 2, 3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  8. 宇宙ステーション補給機「こうのとり」9号機（HTV9）ミッションプレスキット (PDF) (in Japanese). JAXA. 14 May 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  9. "HTV9 Mission Timeline". JAXA. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  10. "2020年(令和2年)5月理事長定例記者会見" (in Japanese). JAXA. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  11. "ISS Daily Summary Report – 5/12/2020". NASA. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  12. "ISS Daily Summary Report – 3/11/2021". NASA. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  13. 打ち上げ準備もコロナ警戒 見学自粛呼び掛け―種子島 (in Japanese). Jiji Press. 21 May 2020. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  14. 「こうのとり」9号機がSSRMSに把持されました (in Japanese). JAXA. 25 May 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  15. "Successful berthing of the H-II Transfer Vehicle "KOUNOTORI9" (HTV9) to the International Space Station (ISS)". JAXA. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  16. 「こうのとり」9号機にクルーが入室 (in Japanese). JAXA. 26 May 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  17. Keeter, Bill (26 May 2020). "ISS Daily Summary Report – 5/26/2020". NASA. Retrieved 6 June 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  18. 曝露パレット引出し開始 (in Japanese). JAXA. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  19. 曝露パレットの収納完了 (in Japanese). JAXA. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
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