H-II Transfer Vehicle KOUNOTORI (HTV)

The HTV Exposed Pallet installed on Kibo's Exposed Facility

The Exposed Pallet being grappled by the SSRMS (Image credit: NASA)

The HTV-1 continues nominal berthed operations. The cargo transfer activities between the HTV Pressurized Logistics Carrier (PLC) and the ISS have moved into full-swing from Flight Day 12 (FD12), September 21.

On Flight Day 14 (FD14), September 23, the HTV Exposed Pallet (EP) was installed on Kibo's Exposed Facility (EF). The station's robotic arm (SSRMS) grappled and retrieved the Exposed Pallet (EP) from the HTV Unpressurized Logistics Carrier (ULC) at 6:06 p.m. September 23. The EP was handed off to Kibo's robotic arm (JEMRMS) at 8:13 p.m., and then, installed on the EF at 10:33 p.m. September 23.

On Flight Day 15 (FD15), September 24, the two exposed experiment payloads, called SMILES^*1 and HREP^*2, which have been carried to the ISS on the EP, will be removed from the EP and installed on the EF. On Flight Day 16 (FD16), emptied EP will be reinstalled into the HTV ULC. The EP will be grappled and removed from the EF with the JEMRMS, and the EP will then be handed off to the SSRMS, and stowed back into the HTV ULC with the SSRMS.

The next HTV-1 Mission update will be posted on September 25.

*1 Superconducting Submilimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder

*2 HICO and RAIDS Experiment Payload - Remote Atmospheric and Ionospheric Detection System

*All times are Japan Standard Time (JST. UTC + 9 hours)