 H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-8) being grappled by the Canadarm2 on 1 November 2019. | |
| Mission type | ISS resupply |
|---|---|
| Operator | JAXA |
| COSPAR ID | 2019-062A |
| SATCATno. | 44546 |
| Mission duration | 40 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Kounotori 8 |
| Spacecraft type | HTV |
| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Launch mass | 15800 kg[1][failed verification] |
| Dry mass | 10500 kg |
| Payload mass | 5300 kg |
| Dimensions | 9.8 metre of long, 4.4 metre of diameter |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 24 September 2019, 16:05:05UTC[2] |
| Rocket | H-IIB No. 8 |
| Launch site | Tanegashima,Yoshinobu-2 |
| Contractor | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 3 November 2019 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Berthing atISS | |
| Berthing port | Harmonynadir |
| RMS capture | 28 September 2019, 11:12 UTC[3] |
| Berthing date | 28 September 2019, 14:09 UTC[4] |
| Unberthing date | 1 November 2019, 13:45 UTC[5] |
| RMS release | 1 November 2019, 17:21 UTC[6][7] |
| Time berthed | 34 days |
| Cargo | |
| Mass | 5300 kg |
| Pressurised | 3400 kg |
| Unpressurised | 1900 kg |
Kounotori 8 (こうのとり8号機), also known asHTV-8 was the 8th flight of theH-II Transfer Vehicle, a robotic cargo spacecraft to resupply theInternational Space Station. It was launched on 24 September 2019, 16:05:05 UTC.[8]
Major changes from previous Kounotori are:[9]
Kounotori 8 carries about 5300 kg of cargo, consisting of 3400 kg in the pressurized compartment and 1900 kg in the unpressurized compartment.[9]
Cargo in the Pressurized Logistics Carrier (PLC) include:[9]
In the Unpressurized Logistics Carrier (ULC), Kounotori 8 carries six lithium-ion batteriesOrbital Replacement Units (ORUs) for replacing theISS's existing nickel-hydrogen batteries. The transportation of replacement batteries is a continuation from the previousKounotori 6 and7, and will continue through toKounotori 9.[9]
TheH-IIB launch vehicle carrying Kounotori 8 was initially scheduled to be launched at 21:33:29 UTC, 10 September 2019.[11][12] 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.[13] 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.[14]
After the modification to the mobile launch platform to suppress static electricity, a new launch was scheduled at 23 September 2019, 16:30 UTC,[14] but thecollision avoidance check revealed that the 2nd stage of the launch vehicle might approach near theSoyuz 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.[15] On 24 September 2019, 16:05:05 UTC, the Kounotori 8 aboard H-IIB was launched successfully.[8]
Kounotori 8 was captured by theSpace Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) at 23:13 UTC, on 27 September 2019,[16] and berthed atHarmony'snadirCommon Berthing Mechanism (CBM) by 17:55 UTC, on 28 September 2019.[17]
The External Palette (EP8), which carries thelithium-ion batteryOrbital Replacement Units (ORU), was extracted from the Kounotori 8's Unpressurized Logistics Carrier (ULC) by the SSRMS (Canadarm2) on 29 September 2019.[18]
The External Palette ofKounotori 7 (EP7) was placed in the Kounotori 8's ULC.[19] EP7 was left on the ISS after the departure of Kounotori 7 due to the schedule change ofextravehicular activity after the launch failure ofSoyuz MS-10.
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.[20]
It was disposed by thedestructive reentry to theEarth atmosphere at around 02:09 UTC, on 3 November 2019.[21]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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