Japan
H-II Transfer Vehicle "KOUNOTORI" (HTV)
Flight # | Variant | Date of Launch (UTC) | Launch Location | Payload | Docking | Remarks | Result |
TF1 | H-IIB | 10 September 2009 | LA-Y2, Tanegashima | HTV-1 | First flight of H-IIB | Success | |
F2 | H-IIB | 22 January 2011 | LA-Y2, Tanegashima | HTV-2 | Success | ||
F3 | H-IIB | 21 July 2012 | LA-Y2, Tanegashima | HTV-3 | Harmony nadir PMA-2 27 July 2012 12:23 GMT | CubeSats carried aboard HTV on 4 October 2012 deployed from the ISS undocked from the ISS at 11:50 UTC, 11 September 2012 | Success |
F4 | H-IIB | 3 August 2013 | LA-Y2, Tanegashima | HTV-4 | Harmony nadir PMA-2 9 August 2013 11:22UTC | CubeSats carried aboard HTV for deployment from the ISS undocked from the ISS at 16:20 UTC 4 September 2013 | Success |
F5 | H-IIB | 19 August 2015 | LA-Y2, Tanegashima | HTV-5 | Harmony nadir PMA-2 02:58p.m.UTC 24 August 2015 | CubeSats carried aboard HTV for deployment from the ISS undocked from the ISS at 11:12 UTC, 28 September 2015 | Success |
F6 | H-IIB | 9 December 2016 13:26:47 UTC | LA-Y2, Tanegashima | HTV-6 (EGG, TuPOD, UBAKUSAT AOBA-VELOX 3, STARS C, FREEDOM, ITF 2,Waseda-SAT3, OSNSAT, Tancredo 1, TechEDSat, Lemur-2× 4) | Harmony's Nadir 14 December 2016, 03:24 | undocked from the ISS at 10:59 UTC 27 January 2017, | Success |
F7 |
Kounotori 6 in test of removing space debris
Japan's spacecraft Kounotori 6 has embarked on a week-long mission to test new technology for removing space debris.
The cargo transport was detached from the International Space Station with a robot arm early Saturday, Japan time, and resumed its solo flight.
Metal wires are to be extended about 700 meters into space and electric currents will be sent through them. It's a test of whether the Earth's magnetic field can be used to slow space debris enough so that it will fall into the atmosphere and burn.
Japan's space agency hopes to put the technology into practical use by the mid-2020s.
Space debris, such as used rockets and satellites, travels at fast speeds and is a great threat to operating satellites and the space station.
Developing technology that can resolve the problem has become a serious task in order to safely promote the development of space in the future.
The Kounotori 6 arrived at the space station last month, carrying 6 tons of supplies including Japanese-made lithium-ion battery cells and food for the astronauts.