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New Unmanned Japanese Re-Supply Vessel For the ISS

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the lookit-all-them-wires-up-there dept.

Joshua writes "JAXA, Japan's version of NASA, has scheduled the launch of its new rocket, the H-IIB, for September 11th, 2009. The rocket will be carrying up the first in a series of unmanned supply vessels for the ISS called the HTV. The new Japanese addition to the international space fleet comes as a huge welcome sign to NASA, who has scheduled the space shuttle to retire in 2010. The HTV will be able to transport vital supplies, equipment, and experiments to the ISS, a job that the US space shuttle has been doing largely up until now. Yearly launches for the H-II2 and HTV are scheduled between now and 2015. Until NASA can finish the next generation Ares I rocket, which isn't likely to be finished before 2017, taking astronauts into space and to the ISS will likely become the job of Russia."

20 of 93 comments (clear)

  1. Yes; But Can It by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    make sushi for the ISS?

    Yours In Akademgorodok,
    K. Trout

  2. Re:Sure by Nadaka · · Score: 5, Funny

    I promise you, the full force of Japanese industry is dedicated to the effort, if for no other reason than they have run out of fetishes involving real women.

  3. Spacecraft visiting the ISS by TorKlingberg · · Score: 4, Informative

    For reference, there are two spacecraft that can bring crew to and from the ISS:
    * The Space Shuttle
    * Soyuz
    , and two unmanned supply ships:
    * Russian Progress
    * European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV)
    The Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle will be the third. It has less payload than ATV and cannot reboost the station, but the door is bigger so it can carry standard size experiment racks and other big things. Neither of the two launch very often, so both will be needed.

    1. Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS by Bureaucromancer · · Score: 3, Interesting

      We should also have Dragon flying by the end of 2010 if things go as planned, which will amount to another supply ship on par with the ATV, but with payload return capability.

    2. Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS by rbanffy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think the ATV is somewhat larger than the Dragon. The Dragon shares the larger door with the Japanese H-II and should be able to carry larger loads. It's interesting that the ATV, although much larger than a Progress, docks to the same hatch (a small one) and is thus unable to carry anything that does not pass through the smaller hatch. At least, not in one piece.

      As for the H-II, return capabilities are being planned. IIRC, so are the ATV folks.

      --
      http://www.dieblinkenlights.com
    3. Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS by Martin+Blank · · Score: 2, Interesting

      There seems to be a great deal of attention being paid to the ISS by various countries around the world. As another posted points out, the Dragon may be ready soon, and after the shuttle's retirement, this would make at least four systems that can provide resupply. Construction may come to a halt (at least temporarily), but it doesn't seem that the crews will be short of things to do while there. If construction continues at some point, the ability of multiple agencies to launch could provide for a fairly rapid rotation of equipment and experiments, and eventually crew.

      I wonder if India, China, Ukraine, and perhaps even lesser-known space-capable nations like Brazil will begin working on craft capable of docking with the ISS. Much of the groundwork has been laid; it makes sense to take advantage of it.

      --
      You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
    4. Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS by camperdave · · Score: 4, Informative

      The HTV can carry almost twice the cargo that the Dragon can carry, up to the station. However, the HTV is a disposable craft. It gets jettisoned and burns up in the atmosphere. Dragon, on the other hand, is designed with a crew in mind. It can safely re-enter and splash down. Thus the cargo version can bring equipment and experiments from the ISS back to the ground.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    5. Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS by WindBourne · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Construction may come to a halt (at least temporarily), but it doesn't seem that the crews will be short of things to do while there.
      Actually, it appears that Construction will not stop. For starters, Italy just paid a bit of money to NASA to leave one of the modules on there. Now, NASA is FINALLY studying the idea of buying one or more Bigelow units and adding it to the ISS. To get it there, they will need to either use the shuttle, OR a tug. If done right, this could fire up the private industry and jump start Bigelow with private space stations, as well as a tug company or two along with the required Fuel depot.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  4. Half an hour until launch. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    It should be launching in half an hour
    Live video from JAXA
    Live video from NASA

  5. Say what? by HangingChad · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Until NASA can finish the next generation Ares I rocket, which isn't likely to be finished before 2017...

    What the heck is taking so long? 7 and 1/2 more years for a modified spam can? WTF? It's not like we have no experience with ballistic re-entry vehicles and the lift vehicle design is based on components already in operation. Why is it going to take almost another decade to field a working booster? Okay, it's got problems. Anything that has to go 17,000 mph in space is going to take some work, but come on. We have solved those problems before. We're not reinventing the wheel. That just seems totally ridiculous.

    Is it really that hard, are the contractors trying to milk the project, or has NASA become such a bloated bureaucracy that it takes 10 years to field lobster claw technology? Hell, bring the Russian engineers in. They'll weld the doors closed, kick it the butt and boost it up there.

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
    1. Re:Say what? by dkleinsc · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What the heck is taking so long? 7 and 1/2 more years for a modified spam can? WTF?

      Yeah, it can't be that hard, it's only rocket science.

      You're sounding a lot like a PHB setting an "aggressive" timeline on a software project with no clue about what the job really entails.

      --
      I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
    2. Re:Say what? by WindBourne · · Score: 2, Interesting

      No, not really. It has only been in the last 6-8 years that it was seriously underfunded. Clinton kept it at 1% of budget, but he did not put huge demands on NASA. OTH, both reagan and W put monster requirements (NASP, Space stations, moon, mars, etc) on them while at the same time cutting their budget (partially directly, and other times by inflation). Had W kept it at 8-9% of budget, NASA would be in GREAT SHAPE and we would be heading to the moon NOW. NASA is where it is at because of bad leadership all around.

      Hopefully, NASA gets smart and pushes Obama to release funds for private space. With a little bit of INTELLIGENT spending, we can get private space to develop new business in space and create a business boom. I saw that NASA is looking to buy Bigelow's modules and attach them to the ISS. If they do that, AND have a tug/fuel depot contract to haul them, then we will still go for the moon before 2020.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  6. Russian Progress, not Shuttle, supplying ISS by SpinyNorman · · Score: 2, Informative

    I thought it was the unmanned Russian Progress spacecraft that has mostly been supplying the ISS:

    http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/progress.html

    1. Re:Russian Progress, not Shuttle, supplying ISS by RobBebop · · Score: 2, Informative

      Check this out for an up-to-date list of all UNMANNED launches past, present, and future to the ISS.

      --
      Support the 30 Hour Work Week!!!
    2. Re:Russian Progress, not Shuttle, supplying ISS by SpinyNorman · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Thanks - interesting.

      So that would be a resounding yes to Progress being the primary ISS supply vessel!

      It's interesting to note the docked/undocked dates - each Progress basically stays docked with the ISS until it has to move to make way for the new one. They use the empty ones for garbage disposal - they stuff it with full with whatever they don't want and it all burns up together on re-entry.

  7. We have Liftoff by ultraexactzz · · Score: 3, Informative

    Apparently, the launch was successful: Liftoff occured at 2:01 a.m. local time, and the spacecraft proceeded into orbit without incident.

    Space.com Reports on the Launch

    --
    Never underestimate the potential of Human stupidity. -Heinlein
  8. Not really by WindBourne · · Score: 3, Informative

    It has probably provided the majority of the LIVING supplies. BUT in terms of tonnage carried up there, I think that you will find that the shuttle has taken the bulk up there. For starters, there has been roughly 1 shuttle, 1 progress and 1 souyz per quarter. The souyz and the progress do not match the shuttle.

    --
    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  9. USA Imperial vs Rest of World Decimal programs? by fantomas · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hey maybe the Imperial measurement countries (USA+Liberia+Burma) will go one way and the Decimal countries (Rest of the World) will go another?

    Would make it easier all round for the engineers and the construction crews!

  10. WHY did it have to be unmanned?! by TheModelEskimo · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...my brother is an astronaut, and he was TOTALLY looking forward to the air lock door flying open and some taikonauts shouting, "SUPPLIES!"

  11. Which agency.... by zogger · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Which one is it again, which federal agency claims they just slap get too much money? So much that they give a lot of it back and tell congress "please, stop giving us so much money, we have more than enough to do this job"?

    Just wondering, because I never heard of any agency claiming they had enough loot. All of them to the best of my recollection have always wanted more money saying they *need* it to "do their jobs".