New Unmanned Japanese Re-Supply Vessel For the ISS

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."

Comments

Re:Sure

[Nadaka]

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.

Spacecraft visiting the ISS

[TorKlingberg]

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.

Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS

[Bureaucromancer]

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.

Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS

[rbanffy]

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.

Re:Spacecraft visiting the ISS

[camperdave]

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.

Half an hour until launch.

[Anonymous Coward]

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

We have Liftoff

[ultraexactzz]

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

Re:Russian Progress, not Shuttle, supplying ISS

[SpinyNorman]

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.

Not really

[WindBourne]

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.