H-II Transfer Vehicle
The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), also called Kounotori (こうのとり, Kōnotori, "Oriental stork" or "white stork"), is an expendable, automated cargo spacecraft used to resupply the Kibō Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) and the International Space Station (ISS). The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has been working on the design since the early 1990s. The first mission, HTV-1, was originally intended to be launched in 2001. It launched at 17:01 UTC on 10 September 2009 on an H-IIB launch vehicle. The name Kounotori was chosen for the HTV by JAXA because "a white stork carries an image of conveying an important thing (a baby, happiness, and other joyful things), therefore, it precisely expresses the HTV's mission to transport essential materials to the ISS". The HTV is very important for resupplying the ISS because after the retirement of the Space Shuttle it is the only vehicle that can transfer new 41.3 in (105 cm) wide International Standard Payload Racks (ISPRs) and dispose old ISPRs that can fit the 51 in (130 cm) wide tunnels between modules in the US Orbital Segment.
H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-1) approaching the ISS | |
| Country of origin | Japan |
|---|---|
| Operator | JAXA |
| Applications | Automated cargo spacecraft to resupply the ISS |
| Specifications | |
| Spacecraft type | Cargo |
| Launch mass | 16,500 kg (36,400 lb) |
| Dry mass | 10,500 kg (23,100 lb) |
| Volume | Pressurized: 14 m3 (490 cu ft) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | ~9.8 m (32 ft) (including thrusters) |
| Diameter | 4.4 m (14 ft) |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to ISS | |
| Mass | 6,000–6,200 kg (13,200–13,700 lb) |
| Production | |
| Status | Retired (original model) In development (HTV-X) |
| On order | 1 |
| Built | 9 |
| Launched | 9 |
| Maiden launch | 10 September 2009 |
| Last launch | 20 May 2020 |