MISSION NAME
Kounotori 9 (HTV-9) 9
Status
Success
DATE
20 MAY 2020
LAUNCH PROVIDER
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Launch Pad
Yoshinobu Launch Complex LP-2
Description
The last H-II Transfer Vehicle "Kounotori" will be launched on an H-IIB 304 launch vehicle, carrying 6,200 kg (13,669 lbs) of supplies and science experiments to be conducted by astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Kounotori 9 will be the last original HTV spacecaft : its successor scheduled to launch in February 2022 will be the first of the new HTV-X version.
H-IIB 304
Rocket Description
H-IIB (H2B) is an expendable launch system used to launch H-II Transfer Vehicles (HTV, or Kounotori) towards the International Space Station. H-IIB rockets are liquid-fuelled with solid-fuel strap-on boosters and are launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. Mitsubishi and JAXA have been primarily responsible for design, manufacture, and operation of H-IIB.