(AP Photo/NASA)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced a launch date for its new H-IIB rocket, which will be carrying a Japanese-made unmanned transportation vehicle (HTV). The HTV, designed for re-supplying the International Space Station (ISS), is said to be of extreme importance for helping to bring food, experiments, and other vital supplies into space over the next few years, particularly after NASA retires the space shuttle next year.
The H-IIB rocket and HTV (H-2 Transfer Vehicle) have been built by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries specifically for space supply transportation. The H-IIB is a larger redesigned H-IIA rocket and is meant to carry the heavy weight of the HTV, which weighs approximately 16.5 tons.
The HTV is a new concept for an unmanned supply vessel which has reportedly cost around $480 million USD (48 billion yen) to develop. One yearly launch of the new Japanese rocket and vehicle to carry supplies to the ISS is planned through 2015, when the ISS is scheduled to be retired. (Click here to learn more about the H-IIB rocket and HTV).
The H-IIB and HTV will help replace NASA’s space shuttle, which is scheduled to retire in 2010. Recent proposals in America have called for an extention of the space shuttle’s duties until at least 2011 to prevent over-reliance on other countries. The same proposals also recommend extending the use of the ISS until 2020. The next generation Ares I rocket, which is being designed among things to take humans to the moon again, is not likely to be completed until 2017.
Launch time and viewing schedule
The launch is scheduled to take place at 2:01:46 a.m. on Friday, September 11, 2009 (Japan Standard Time) from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The launch, which would take place at just after 10:00am Pacific or 1:00pm Eastern Daylight Time barring heavy rain, can be watched on internet broadcast on both JAXA and NASA’s websites.
Update: The H-IIB and HTV have launched successfully as scheduled. (Watch the launch video in the link).
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Japan’s H-IIB rocket and HTV, including promotional videos
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