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H-IIB

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For other uses, see H2B (disambiguation).
H-IIB
Liftoff of H-IIB Flight 2
FunctionLaunch vehicle
ManufacturerMitsubishi Heavy Industries
Country of originJapan Japan
Size
Height56.6 m
Diameter5.2 m
Mass531,000 kg
Stages2
Capacity
Payload to LEO19,000 kg
Payload to
GTO		8,000 kg
Launch history
StatusActive
Launch sitesLA-Y, Tanegashima
Total launches2
Success(es)2
First flight10 September 2009
Type of passengers/cargoH-II Transfer Vehicle
Boosters - SRB-A3
No. boosters4
Engines1 Solid
Thrust9,220kN
Specific impulse283.6sec
Burn time114sec
PropellantSolid
First stage
Engines2 LE-7A
Thrust2,196kN
Specific impulse440 sec
Burn time352 seconds
PropellantLOX/LH2
Second stage
Engines1 LE-5B
Thrust137 kN (30,798 lbf)
Specific impulse448 sec
Burn time499 seconds
PropellantLOX/LH2
[edit on Wikidata]
H-II series

H-IIB (H2B) is an expendable launch system used to launch H-II Transfer Vehicles (HTV) 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.

H-IIB is able to carry a payload of up to 8 tons to GTO, compared with the payload of 4 to 6 tons for the H-IIA. Its performance to LEO is sufficient for the HTV (16,500 kg). The first H-IIB was launched in September 2009.

Development

The H-IIB launch vehicle is a launch vehicle developed jointly by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to launch the H-II Transfer Vehicle. The H-IIB was designed to adopt methods and components that have already been verified by flights on the H-IIA, so that manufacturing the new launch vehicle would be more cost-effective, with less risk, in a shorter period of time. JAXA was in charge of preliminary design, readiness of the ground facility, and the development of new technologies for the H-IIB, in which the private sector has limited competencies, while the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is responsible for manufacturing. JAXA successfully conducted eight firing tests of the new cluster design with the simulated first-stage propulsion system, called Battleship Firing Tests, since March 2008, at MHI's Tashiro Test Facility in Odate, Akita Prefecture.[1]

Before launch, two Captive Firing Tests were conducted on the H-IIB. The first test, which consisted of firing the first stage for ten seconds, was originally scheduled to occur at 02:30 GMT on 27 March 2009, however it was cancelled after the launch pad's coolant system failed to activate.[2] This was later discovered to have been due to a manual supply valve not being open.[3] The test was rescheduled for 1 April, but then postponed again due to a leak in a pipe associated with the launch facility's fire suppression system.[4] The test was rescheduled for 2 April,[5] when it was successfully conducted at 05:00 GMT.[6] Following this, the second test, which involved a 150 second burn of the first stage, was scheduled for 20 April.[7] This was successfully conducted at 04:00 GMT on 22 April,[8] following a two day delay due to unfavourable weather conditions.[9] A ground test, using a battleship mockup of the rocket was subsequently conducted on 11 July.[10]

The development program of the H-IIB cost around 27 billion yen.[11]

Vehicle description

The H-IIB launch vehicle is a two-stage rocket. The first stage uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as propellants and has four strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRB-A3) powered by polybutadiene. The first stage is powered by two LE-7A engines, instead of one for the H-IIA. It has four SRB-As attached to the body, while the standard version of H-IIA has two SRB-As. In addition, the first-stage body of the H-IIB is 5.2m in diameter compared with 4m for the H-IIA. The total length of the first stage is extended by 1m from that of H-IIA. As a result the H-IIB first stage holds 1.7 times more propellant than that of the H-IIA. The second stage is powered by a single LE-5B engine.[12]

Launch history

The first launch of the H-IIB occurred on September 10, 2009 at 1701 UTC. It successfully launched the HTV-1, which was on a mission to resupply the International Space Station.[13]

Flight # Variant Date of Launch Launch Location Payload Result Remarks
1 H-IIB September 10, 2009 (17:01 UTC) LA-Y, Tanegashima Japan HTV-1 Success First flight of H-IIB
2 H-IIB January 22, 2011 (05:38 UTC) LA-Y, Tanegashima Japan HTV-2 Success

See also

References

  1. ^ "A new stage in Japanese space transportation". Tomihisa Nakamura. JAXA. 2007-07-15. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
  2. ^ "Postponement of the First Captive Firing Test (CFT) of the First Stage Flight Model Tank for the H-IIB Launch Vehicle". JAXA. 2009-03-27. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  3. ^ "The First Captive Firing Test for the First Stage Flight Model Tank for the H-IIB Launch Vehicle". JAXA. 2009-03-30. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  4. ^ "Suspension of the First Captive Firing Test (CFT) of the First Stage Flight Model Tank for the H-IIB Launch Vehicle". JAXA. 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  5. ^ "The First Captive Firing Test for the First Stage Flight Model Tank for the H-IIB Launch Vehicle". JAXA. 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  6. ^ "Result of the First Captive Firing Test for the First Stage Flight Model Tank of the H-IIB Launch Vehicle". JAXA. 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  7. ^ "The Second Captive Firing Test for the First Stage Flight Model Tank for the H-IIB Launch Vehicle". JAXA. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  8. ^ "Result of the Second Captive Firing Test for the First Stage Flight Model Tank of the H-IIB Launch Vehicle". JAXA. 2009-04-22. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  9. ^ "Postponement of the Second Captive Firing Test (CFT) of the First Stage Flight Model Tank for the H-IIB Launch Vehicle". JAXA. 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  10. ^ "Results of the H-IIB Launch Vehicle Ground Test Vehicle (GTV) Test". JAXA. 2009-07-11. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  11. ^ JAXA、H-IIBロケットの地上総合試験(GTV)について説明, Robot Watch, 2009-7-10
  12. ^ "H-IIB" (PDF). H-IIB Launch Vehicle. Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency. 2009-07-15. Retrieved 2009-09-04.
  13. ^ "Japan's space freighter in orbit". Jonathan Amos. BBC. 2009-08-10. Retrieved 2009-09-10.


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