 Kounotori 3 approaches the ISS on 27 July 2012. | |
| Mission type | ISS resupply |
|---|---|
| Operator | Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) |
| COSPAR ID | 2012-038A |
| SATCAT no. | 38706 |
| Mission duration | 55 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Kounotori 3 |
| Spacecraft type | H-II Transfer Vehicle |
| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Launch mass | 15100 kg |
| Dry mass | 10500 kg |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 21 July 2012, 02:06:18 UTC |
| Rocket | H-IIB No. 3 |
| Launch site | Tanegashima, Yoshinobu-2 |
| Contractor | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Deorbited |
| Decay date | 14 September 2012, 05:27 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Inclination | 51.66° |
| Epoch | 27 July 2012 |
| Berthing at ISS | |
| Berthing port | Harmony nadir |
| RMS capture | 27 July 2012, 12:23 UTC |
| Berthing date | 27 July 2012, 14:34 UTC |
| Unberthing date | 11 September 2012, 11:50 UTC |
| RMS release | 12 September 2012, 15:50 UTC |
| Time berthed | 46 days |
| Cargo | |
| Mass | 4600 kg |
| Pressurised | 3500 kg |
| Unpressurised | 1100 kg |
| |
Kounotori 3 (Japanese: こうのとり3号機; English: "white stork" [1]), also known as HTV-3, was the third flight of the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle. It was launched on 21 July 2012 to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) aboard the H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 3 (H-IIB F3) manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and JAXA.[2] Kounotori 3 arrived at the ISS on 27 July 2012, and Expedition 32 Flight Engineer and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide used the International Space Station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to install Kounotori 3, to its docking port on the Earth-facing side (nadir) of the Harmony module at 14:34 UTC.[3]
After the supplies are unloaded, Kounotori 3 was loaded with waste material from ISS, including used experiment equipment and used clothes. Then Kounotori 3 was unberthed from the ISS on 11 September 2012 and burned up upon reentering in the atmosphere of Earth on 14 September 2012.
- ^ JAXA (11 November 2010). ""KOUNOTORI" Chosen as Nickname of the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)". JAXA. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
- ^ JAXA. "H-IIB Launch Vehicle" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ "Japanese Cargo Spacecraft Berthed to Station". NASA. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
