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The Mission




Rocket: H-2B
Payload: H-2 Transfer Vehicle
Date: September 10, 2009
Window: 1701 GMT (1:01 p.m. EDT)
Site: Launch Pad 2, Yoshinobu Launch Complex, Tanegashima, Japan

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HTV mission ends

HTV events timeline




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H-2B/HTV 1 launch timeline
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: August 30, 2009

T-00:00 Liftoff
With its two LE-7A main engines and four solid rocket boosters firing, the 186-foot-tall H-2B rocket lifts off from the Yoshinobu launch complex on Tanegashima Island. A few moments later, the rocket will complete a pitch program to head southeast from the launch site.
T+01:54 SRB-A Burnout
The H-2B's four solid rocket boosters exhaust their propellant and burn out at an altitude of 33 miles.
T+02:04 SRB-A 1st Pair Separation
The first pair of the four solid rocket boosters is jettisoned.
T+02:07 SRB-A 2nd Pair Separation
The second pair of the four solid rocket boosters is jettisoned.
T+03:40 Fairing Separation
After traversing the dense lower atmosphere and reaching an altitude of 75 miles, the rocket releases the 5-meter (16.4-foot) diameter payload fairing protecting the H-2 Transfer Vehicle during the early part of the flight.
T+05:47 Main Engine Cutoff
After consuming its liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants, the twin LE-7A first stage main engines are shut down. The first stage and solid rocket boosters push the rocket to a velocity of about 12,500 mph.
T+05:54 Stage Separation
The H-2B rocket's first stage is separated now, having completed its job. The spent stage will fall into the Pacific Ocean downrange from Tanegashima.
T+06:01 Second Stage Ignition
With the first stage jettisoned, the rocket's second stage takes over. The LE-5B hydrogen-fueled engine ignites at an altitude of 121 miles to accelerate the H-2 Transfer Vehicle to orbital velocity.
T+14:20 Second Stage Cutoff
The LE-5B second stage engine shuts down after reaching its specified orbital targets. This completes the powered phase of the launch.
T+15:11 HTV Separation
The 35,000-pound H-2 Transfer Vehicle is deployed on its way to the International Space Station, wrapping up the maiden flight of the new H-2B rocket. Spacecraft separation will occur off the northeast coast of New Guinea. The launcher is targeting an orbit with a high point of 300 kilometers (186 miles), a low point of 200 kilometers (124 miles), and an inclination of 51.7 degrees.

Data Source: JAXA

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