H-IIB

H-IIB
H-IIB No. F8 at the launch pad in September 2019
FunctionMedium-lift launch vehicle
ManufacturerMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Country of originJapan
Cost per launchUS$112.5 million[1]
Size
Height56.6 m (186 ft)
Diameter5.2 m (17 ft)
Mass531,000 kg (1,171,000 lb)
Stages2
Capacity
Payload to LEO
Mass19,000 kg (42,000 lb)[2]
Payload to ISS (carrying the HTV)
Mass16,500 kg (36,400 lb)[3]
Payload to GTO
Mass8,000 kg (18,000 lb)[4]
Associated rockets
FamilyH-II family
Based onH-II, H-IIA
Derivative workH3
Comparable
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sitesTanegashima, LA-Y2
Total launches9
Success(es)9
First flight10 September 2009
Last flight20 May 2020
Type of passengers/cargoH-II Transfer Vehicle
Boosters – SRB-A3
No. boosters4
Height15 m (49 ft)
Diameter2.5 m (8 ft 2 in)
Gross mass76,500 kg (168,700 lb) each
Propellant mass66,000 kg (146,000 lb) each
Maximum thrust2,305 kN (518,000 lbf)
Total thrust9,220 kN (2,070,000 lbf)
Specific impulse283.6 s (2.781 km/s)
Burn time114 seconds
PropellantHTPB
First stage
Height38 m (125 ft)
Diameter5.2 m (17 ft)
Gross mass202,000 kg (445,000 lb)
Propellant mass177,800 kg (392,000 lb)
Powered by2 × LE-7A
Maximum thrust2,196 kN (494,000 lbf)
Specific impulse440 seconds (4.3 km/s)
Burn time352 seconds
PropellantLH2 / LOX
Second stage
Height11 m (36 ft)
Diameter4.0 m (13.1 ft)
Gross mass20,000 kg (44,000 lb)
Propellant mass16,600 kg (36,600 lb)
Powered by1 × LE-5B
Maximum thrust137 kN (31,000 lbf)
Specific impulse448 s (4.39 km/s)
Burn time499 seconds
PropellantLH2 / LOX

H-IIB (H2B) was an expendable space launch system jointly developed by the Japanese government's space agency JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It was used to launch the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV, or Kōnotori) cargo spacecraft for the International Space Station. The H-IIB was a liquid-fueled rocket, with solid-fuel strap-on boosters and was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. H-IIB made its first flight in 2009, and had made a total of nine flights through 2020 with no failures.

H-IIB was able to carry a payload of up to 8,000 kg (18,000 lb) to Geostationary transfer orbit (GTO),[4] compared with the payload of 4000–6000 kg for the H-IIA, a predecessor design. Its performance to low Earth orbit (LEO) was sufficient for the 16,500 kg (36,400 lb) H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV).[4] The first H-IIB was launched in September 2009 and the last H-IIB was launched in May 2020.[4]

  1. ^ "Surplus Missile Motors: Sale Price Drives Potential Effects on DOD and Commercial Launch Providers". Government Accountability Office. 16 August 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  2. ^ SASAKI, Hiroshi; IMADA, Takane; TAKATA, Shinichi (2009). "Development Plan for Future Mission from HTV System". Transactions of the Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences, Space Technology Japan. 7 (ists26): Tk_77–Tk_82. doi:10.2322/tstj.7.Tk_77. ISSN 1347-3840.
  3. ^ "About H-IIB Launch Vehicle". Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. JAXA. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d Krebs, Gunter. "H-2B". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 28 January 2017.