Kounotori 6

Kounotori 6
Mission type ISS resupply
Operator JAXA
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type HTV
Start of mission
Launch date 1 December 2016 (planned)[1]
Rocket H-IIB 304
Launch site Tanegashima Y2
Contractor Mitsubishi
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Inclination 51.6 degrees
Epoch Planned
Berthing at ISS
Berthing port Harmony nadir
← Kounotori 5 Kounotori 7 →

Kounotori 6 (こうのとり6号機), also known as HTV-6, will be the sixth flight of the H-II Transfer Vehicle, an unmanned cargo spacecraft launched to resupply the International Space Station.

As of December 2015, launch is scheduled for December 1st, 2016.[1]

Spacecraft

Kounotori 6 will test several new technologies. The mission will test thin film solar cells in space.[2]

This HTV flight will also have an experimental electrodynamic tether (EDT), called KITE(Kounotori Integrated Tether Experiment).[3][4] The tether is equipped with a 20 kg end-mass, and will be 700 m long when deployed.[3] A maximum 10 mA current will run through the tether.[3] Kounotori's ISS rendezvous sensor will be utilized to measure how the end-mass moves during the test.[3] The EDT experiment will be conducted following Kounotori 6's departure from the ISS, and is to be held for a week.[3] After the experiment, the tether will be separated before the spacecraft proceeds with the de-orbit maneuvers.

The main objective of this experiment is the orbital demonstration of both extending an uncoated bare-tether, and driving electric currents through the EDT.[4] These two technologies will contribute to gaining capabilities to remove space debris.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 Frommert, Hartmut (2015-12-17). "International Space Station Flight Schedule". SEDS. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  2. ↑ "参加者確認公募" (PDF) (in Japanese). JAXA. 2015-01-13. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "HTV搭載導電性テザー実証実験の検討状況について" (PDF) (in Japanese). JAXA. 2013-09-04. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 "JAXA、宇宙ゴミ除去技術の確立に向け「こうのとり」利用" (in Japanese). Response staff. 2013-09-09. Retrieved 21 March 2015.

External links

Images

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