| 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. |
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| T+01:56 |
SRB-A Burnout |
| The H-2B's four solid rocket boosters exhaust their propellant and burn out at an altitude of 33 miles. |
|
| T+02:06 |
SRB-A 1st Pair Separation |
| The first pair of the four solid rocket boosters is jettisoned. |
|
| T+02:09 |
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+14:21 |
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 flight of the 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 51.6 degrees. |
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