The Japanese HTV-9 new delivery ship is on its own manpower after it was released from the Canadarm2 robot arm that completed a three-month cargo mission at the station. Credit: NASA
Eleven years after the launch of the first H-II Transfer Truck (HTV) to the International Space Station, the Japanese Agency (JAXA‘s) HTV-9 left the orbital laboratory yesterday at 1:36 pm EDT.
Earlier today, flight controls were operated from NASA‘s Mission Control Center at the Johnson Space Center in Houston’s office used the robot arm of the space station Canadarm2 to release the cargo from the station’s Harmony module, and then move the spacecraft into its free position. Expedition 63 NASA Commander Chris Cassidy used the Canadarm2 robot arm to clear the spacecraft from the station at 1:35 p.m., ending its three-month stay.
This was the definitive station departure of JAXA’s first-generation Kounotori, as a “white stork,” cargo ship, nine of which delivered more than 40 tons of supplies to space station crews. JAXA is developing a new fleet of HTV cargo, the HTV-X, which is aiming for its first launch in 2022.
The spacecraft launched on May 20 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan, arrived on May 25 to deliver about four tons of supplies and experiments to the orbital complex, including new lithium-ion batteries that were used to power the systems. e station to upgrade. The new-state batteries were installed via a series of spacewalks along the farthest gate ‘backbone’ of the station.
HTV-9 will be commanded by JAXA flight controllers at its HTV control center in Tsukuba, Japan, to leave the station and, on August 20, set fire to its deorbit engine which will send it back into ‘ the atmosphere of the earth. Loading the trash from the space station will burn the spaceship harmlessly across the Pacific Ocean.
For nearly 20 years, astronauts have continuously lived and worked on the space station, testing technologies, conducting science, and developing the skills needed to further explore Earth. As a worldwide effort, 240 people from 19 countries have visited the unique microgravity laboratory that has more than 3,000 research and educational studies from researchers in 108 countries and territories.
