ISS To Greet International Parade of Unmanned Supply Ships

JAXA's first HTV approaches space station in 2009.              Photo Credit/NASA
The next six weeks promise to furnish an illuminating glimpse at International Space Station re-supply operations in the post-Shuttle era, as unmanned supply ships from Japan, Russia and Europe parade to the orbiting science laboratory.

They'll carry a combined 16 tons of research gear, spare parts, water, compressed air, food and other assorted supplies, just above the cargo capacity of a single space shuttle equipped with an Italian-built Multi Purpose Logistics Module (15 tons).

Kounotori, the second of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's H-II Transfer Vehicles, is scheduled to lift off from the Tanegashima Space Center on Jan. 20 at 1:29 a.m., EST, starting a seven-day transit to the orbiting science laboratory. NASA astronaut Catherine Coleman and Paulo Nespoli of the European Space Agency will be positioned at the controls of the station's Canadian robot arm ready to grapple Kounotori during rendezvous operations early on Jan. 27.

The two station flight engineers will maneuver the 16-ton Japanese supply ship onto a berthing port on the U. S. segment's Harmony module.

Four days before the HTV's arrival, the station's crew will cast off Russia's 40 Progress capsule, which has been docked to the Pirs module since Oct. 30.


Russian Progress approaches space station for docking in 2000
Photo Credit/NASA
Russia's Progress 41 is scheduled to lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Jan. 27 at 8:31 p.m., EST, just hours after Kounotori's berthing. The Russian space freighter is expected at the station for an automated docking late on  Jan. 29.

The European Space Agency's second Automated Transfer Vehicle, Johannes Kepler, is scheduled to lift off from Kourou in French Guiana aboard an Ariane 5 on Feb. 15 at 5:10 p.m., EST, initiating an eight-day space station voyage.

Johannes Kepler ready for spacecraft mating
Photo Credit/ESA

ESA has agreed to trim three days off the scheduled 11-day transit to accommodate NASA's desire to launch shuttle Discovery's long delayed space station assembly mission on Feb. 24th.

Discovery's flight has been stalled since a Nov. 5 launch scrub. Last week, NASA began modifications to Discovery's external fuel tank to overcome small cracks in the stringer section that led to the delay.

After retiring the shuttle fleet this year, NASA intends to turn to SpaceX and Orbital Science Corp. for commercial cargo deliveries to the space station. The first U.S. commercial delivery is expected later this year on a SpaceX Dragon capsule.