Kounotori 9
2020 Japanese resupply spaceflight to the ISS
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Kounotori 9 (Japanese: こうのとり9号機), also known as HTV-9 was the 9th and final 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 is the last HTV of the original model, with following missions replaced with the HTV-X.[4][7]
HTV-9 captured by the Canadarm2 on 25 May 2020 | |
| Mission type | ISS resupply |
|---|---|
| Operator | JAXA |
| COSPAR ID | 2020-030A |
| SATCAT no. | 45607 |
| Mission duration | 91 days, 13 hours, 36 minutes |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Kounotori 9 |
| Spacecraft type | H-II Transfer Vehicle |
| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Launch mass | 16,500 kg (36,400 lb)[1] |
| Payload mass | 6,200 kg (13,700 lb) |
| Dimensions | Length: 9.8 m (32 ft) Diameter: 4.4 m (14 ft) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 20 May 2020, 17:31:00 UTC[2] |
| Rocket | H-IIB, Flight 9 |
| Launch site | Tanegashima, LA-Y2 |
| Contractor | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 20 August 2020, 07:07 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Epoch | 20 May 2020 |
| Berthing at ISS | |
| Berthing port | Harmony nadir |
| RMS capture | 25 May 2020, 12:13 UTC[3] |
| Berthing date | 25 May 2020, 14:46 UTC[3] |
| Unberthing date | 18 August 2020, 13:51 UTC |
| RMS release | 18 August 2020, 17:36 UTC |
| Time berthed | 84 days, 23 hours, 5 minutes |
| Cargo | |
| Mass | 6,200 kg (13,700 lb) |
| Pressurised | 4,300 kg (9,500 lb) |
| Unpressurised | 1,900 kg (4,200 lb) |
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 6,200 kilograms (13,700 lb) of cargo mass, consisting of 4,300 kilograms (9,500 lb) in the pressurized compartment and 1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb) 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:
- EXPRESS Rack 11B (ER11B)
- Tank for Water Storage System (WSS)
- High-pressure nitrogen tank for Nitrogen Oxygen Recharge System (NORS)
- ESA cargo:
- European Drawer Rack Mark II (EDR2)
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 the Canadarm2, carrying old nickel-hydrogen batteries.[1][12]
The Exposed Pallet of Kounotori 9 (EP9) reentered to Earth atmosphere on 8 March 2024. An object from this cargo survived the reentry, damaged a house in Naples, Florida.[13][14]
Operations
Launch
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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.[15]
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 Canadarm2 at 12:13 UTC.[16] It was mated to the Harmony's Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM). Berthing operation completed at 18:25 UTC.[17]
Operation while berthed to ISS
ISS crew opened the hatch of the Kounotori's PLC, and entered at 19:24 UTC.[18] Cargo transfer of the pressurized cargo by the crew began on 26 May 2020.[19]
Exposed Pallet (EP9), which carries lithium-ion batteries, was extracted from the ULC by the ground-operated Canadarm2 on 1 June 2020.[20] Then, Kounotori 8's Exposed Pallet (EP8), carrying old nickel-hydrogen batteries, was stowed into the ULC on 02:48 UTC, 2 June 2020.[21]
Departure and reentry to the Earth atmosphere
On 18 August 2020, Kounotori 9 was detached from Harmony's CBM by the Canadarm2, 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.
