Kounotori 3

Kounotori 3
Kounotori 3 approaches the ISS on 27 July 2012.
Mission typeISS resupply
OperatorJapan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
COSPAR ID2012-038A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.38706
Mission duration55 days
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftKounotori 3
Spacecraft typeH-II Transfer Vehicle
ManufacturerMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Launch mass15100 kg
Dry mass10500 kg
Start of mission
Launch date21 July 2012, 02:06:18 UTC
RocketH-IIB No. 3
Launch siteTanegashima, Yoshinobu-2
ContractorMitsubishi Heavy Industries
End of mission
DisposalDeorbited
Decay date14 September 2012,
05:27 UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Inclination51.66°
Epoch27 July 2012
Berthing at ISS
Berthing portHarmony nadir
RMS capture27 July 2012, 12:23 UTC
Berthing date27 July 2012, 14:34 UTC
Unberthing date11 September 2012,
11:50 UTC
RMS release12 September 2012,
15:50 UTC
Time berthed46 days
Cargo
Mass4600 kg
Pressurised3500 kg
Unpressurised1100 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.

  1. ^ JAXA (11 November 2010). ""KOUNOTORI" Chosen as Nickname of the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)". JAXA. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  2. ^ JAXA. "H-IIB Launch Vehicle" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  3. ^ "Japanese Cargo Spacecraft Berthed to Station". NASA. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2012. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.