Форум Новости Космонавтики

ЦитироватьЯпония разрабатывает новую ракету-носитель
 
16 сентября 2007 года, старт ракеты-носителя H-2A
(13:23) 18.02.2009
Японское космическое агентство со своими подрядчиками трудится над новой космической ракетой, которая должна будет уже в этом году начать выводить японские аппараты на орбиту планеты. В конце прошлой недели генеральный подрядчик по данному проекту, компания Mitsubishi Heavy Industries провела первый предварительный показ ракеты H-2B, которая придет на смену устаревающей H-2A.

"Мы намерены провести первый пробный старт уже в середине этого года, все подготовительные работы пока идет в соответствии с графиком. H-2B предназначена для вывода различных спутников на орбиту, а также для доставки грузов на МКС", - сообщил Томихиса Накамура, руководитель процесса разработки H-2B со стороны Японского аэрокосмического агентства JAXA.

Когда создание ракеты будет завершено, то ее длина составит 56 метров, ширина 5,2 метра, против 52 и 4 метров у H-2А. Весят обе ракеты около 530 тонн. Ракета оснащена двумя основными двигателями и четырьмя дополнительными ускорителями. При помощи H-2B Япония надеется выводить на орбиту до 6 тонн грузов для их доставки на МКС при помощи грузового модуля HTV (H-2 Transfer Vehicle). В том случае, если при помощи ракеты будет необходимо вывести лишь спутники, то ее грузоподъемность увеличивается до 16 тонн.

"Это неплохие характеристики, они нужны, чтобы мы могли конкурировать на международном уровне с компаниям Ariane или Sea Launch", - говорит Накамура.

Всего в создание ракеты-носителя японская сторона планирует вложить около 40 млрд йен или 445 млн долларов. "Эта сумма невелика в сравнении с затратами на H-2A или в сравнении с бюджетами Европы и США", - отмечает представитель JAXA.

На сегодня Япония провела 9 успешных стартов H-2 c 2005 года, однако в 2003 году эта ракета-носитель однажды потерпела неудачи при старте. В 2001 году Япония намерена выполнить первый коммерческий пуск по выводу на орбиту южнокорейского спутника Ариранг-3.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/60531.jpg)
16 сентября 2007 года, старт ракеты-носителя H-2A

ЦитироватьJapan Unveils New Rocket

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/7184.jpg)
Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) unveils the new H-2B rocket at their factory at Tobishima village in Aichi prefecture, near Nagoya on February 12, 2009. Photo courtesy of AFP.
by Staff Writers
Nagoya, Japan (AFP) Feb 17, 2009
Nestled in a cavernous but air-tight hangar, scientists are putting the finishing touches to Japan's H-2B rocket, hoping it will boost the country's prestige when it blasts off later this year.
Japan's space agency and industrial giant Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) last week unveiled the rocket's body to a group of reporters, but only after submitting them to a rigorous procedure of finger-printing, an air shower to remove all dust and a requirement to wear chemical suits.

"We expect to make a trial launch toward the middle of this year if all the manufacturing and intermediary steps proceed well," said Tomihisa Nakamura, a researcher who heads the project at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The H-2B -- designed to take supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) and launch satellites -- is more imposing than its predecessor, the H-2A.

When it is ready, the H-2B is expected to be 56 metres (185 feet) tall, three metres more than its sister rocket.

The rocket is 5.2 metres wide -- compared to four metres for the H-2A -- weighs 530 tonnes, and is equipped with two engines and four auxiliary propulsers or "boosters."

The H-2B is initially intended to bring supplies of up to six tonnes per year via an unmanned HTV spacecraft, or "H-2 Transfer Vehicle," to the International Space Station, JAXA said.

The enormous pieces making up the new rocket are currently laid out horizontally in the hermetic hangars of MHI's vast space development site in the central Japanese city of Nagoya.

The H-2B is expected to be able to release an HTV weighing up to 16.5 tonnes into orbit as well as satellites with a combined weight of eight tonnes.

"These abilities are necessary to compete well internationally," noted JAXA's Nakamura.

In addition to developing Japan's space programme, the H-2B was designed to boost MHI's competitiveness against well-known launch services such as Europe's Ariane, and Sea Launch operated by US-based Boeing.

Including the costs of developing and producing the first model, Japan's space agency and the MHI are expected to invest 40 billion yen (444 million dollars).

"The design costs are small compared to those of the H-2A, of an Ariane or another launcher, because we are reusing a lot of elements and knowledge gained from the H-2A. That also minimises the risks," said JAXA's Nakamura.

"Meanwhile we used manufacturing procedures that are new and more efficient," underlined Tomohiko Goto, who heads the project under MHI.

Officials hope that a series of successful launches will boost the rocket's reputation -- and that of MHI -- in Japan and abroad.

"We have not yet decided how many successful launches the rocket will need for the MHI to begin using it for commercial purposes, such as putting private satellites into orbit," said Nakamura.

"But in the future, without doubt it will be used for missions of that nature," he added.

For the moment MHI is focusing on strengthening confidence in the H-2A, which has not gained the level of global recognition that Europe's Ariane enjoys.

But the company last month signed a deal with South Korea to launch the multi-purpose Arirang 3 satellite in 2011 using the H-2A, which would be the first commercial order for a Japanese-made rocket.

Up until now, the H-2A listed nine successful launches in a row since 2005, recovering from a blow in late 2003 when it failed its sixth mission -- an accident that delayed its goal of being an international player.

ЦитироватьВот и ещё одна Протон обошла. :(

ЦитироватьИ на этом фоне предлагается уже второй эквивалент Протона.

ЦитироватьТак мы не об уровне, а о ПН, пусть РН хоть на дровах летает. :)

Цитировать

ЦитироватьТак мы не об уровне, а о ПН, пусть РН хоть на дровах летает. :)

"Дрова" бывают разные.
ПРОТОН - на токсичных "дровах", что периодически снижает его рентабельность.
H-IIB - экологически чистая водородная ракета:
http://www.mhi.co.jp/technology/review/pdf/e454/e454016.pdf

Цитировать

Цитировать

ЦитироватьТак мы не об уровне, а о ПН, пусть РН хоть на дровах летает. :)

"Дрова" бывают разные.
ПРОТОН - на токсичных "дровах", что периодически снижает его рентабельность.
H-IIB - экологически чистая водородная ракета:
http://www.mhi.co.jp/technology/review/pdf/e454/e454016.pdf

 НДМГ и АТ - токсичные, но экологически чиистые, а вот керосин - нетоксичен (ну, почти), но экологически грязен...  :lol:

Цитироватьа вот экологическую чистоту НДМГ казахам бесплатно доказать пока не удаётся.

Цитироватьа вот экологическую чистоту НДМГ казахам бесплатно доказать пока не удаётся.

Цитировать

Цитироватьа вот экологическую чистоту НДМГ казахам бесплатно доказать пока не удаётся.

Ну так они - лица заинтересованные. Ежели когда-нибудь у них в степях грохнется керосиновый носитель - они как 2х2 докажут что керосин - страшный яд, чудовищно вредный для экологии... И попросят еще денег  :wink:

ЦитироватьВот и ещё одна Протон обошла. :(

ЦитироватьНу, это вряд ли :)
Вот если за восемь тонн уйдут, то да. И то можно построить таки КВРБ и навесить на первую ступень РДТТ от "Тополей".

Модифицировать обычно дешевле и проще, чем разрабатывать "с нуля". Даже когда речь шла о том, чтобы приспособить СУ от "Зенита" для "Протона-М", это вышло проще, чем строить новую систему.

ЦитироватьМожно ещё старт на экваторе организовать. И тогда можно без водорода и ТТУ получить 9 тонн.

Цитировать

ЦитироватьВот и ещё одна Протон обошла. :(

H-2 она того, водородная. По стоимости запуска с протоном и рядом не лежала. Так что это не столько конкуренция Протону, сколько понты японцев. Ну может заберет рынок вывода ЯПОНСКИХ тяжелых спутников. Но во всем остальном мире H-2 Протону не конкурент.

ЦитироватьКстати, японцы потихоньку приближают стоимость пуска Н-2 к стоимости пуска Протона. А с Н-2В вообще собираются всерьез выходить на рынок пусковых услуг.

Цитировать

ЦитироватьКстати, японцы потихоньку приближают стоимость пуска Н-2 к стоимости пуска Протона. А с Н-2В вообще собираются всерьез выходить на рынок пусковых услуг.

По два пуска в год? Или оно решили таки свои проблемы с рыбаками?

Цитировать

ЦитироватьИ на этом фоне предлагается уже второй эквивалент Протона.

40-тонник нужен.

Цитировать

Цитировать

ЦитироватьИ на этом фоне предлагается уже второй эквивалент Протона.

40-тонник нужен.

В данный момент светит, что Sea Launch без заказов останется, а вам всё "40-тонник нужен", почему не "60-тонник" тогда? ;) :D
 Можно подумать есть какая-то "очередь" на запуски и десятки аппаратов дожидаются пуска по причине отсутствия ракеты. :)

ЦитироватьNew Japanese rocket fires its engines on launch pad
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: April 2, 2009

Japan's new H-2B rocket rolled to its oceanfront launch pad this week and briefly fired its two main engines Thursday, concluding the heavy-lift booster's first practice countdown after a six-day delay due to faulty ground equipment.
 
The orange and white rocket, stripped of its payload shroud and four solid rocket boosters, was driven atop a mobile platform overnight Tuesday to Launch Pad No. 2 at Tanegashima space center's Yoshinobu launch complex.

It was the second trip to the pad for the H-2B. Two previous attempted countdowns ended with scrubs on March 27 and again Wednesday.

Engineers began loading cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the rocket Thursday morning.

Clocks counted down to zero at 2 p.m. local time, or 0500 GMT Thursday, when the first stage's two LE-7A main engines ignited for a 10-second burn.

Early results indicate the engines performed well during the test, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.

Thursday's exercise included the real first and second stages that will be used on the rocket's maiden flight later this year. The test was designed to validate the H-2B rocket's first stage propulsion system and the launcher's connections with the newly renovated launch pad, according to JAXA.

The "captive firing test" was first delayed from March 27 when launch pad's water system failed to activate moments before engine start. The water helps cushion the launch platform and ground facilities from the shock of ignition.

A second attempt on Wednesday was cancelled after officials detected a water leak in ground fire suppression equipment, according to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., the rocket's prime contractor.

Both delays were caused by problems in ground infrastructure. The H-2B launch pad was originally built to handle flights of the smaller H-2A rocket, but the facility has never been used for a launch.

Although the complex was built prior to JAXA's approval of the H-2B program, the pad was designed to support launches of larger rockets.

Another test is slated for April 16 or 17 to give the launch team more practice in countdown procedures. That rehearsal will culminate with a much longer 150-second engine firing to collect data on the vibrations experienced by the rocket during a simulated first stage burn.

Components of the H-2B arrived at Tanegashima on Feb. 18, and technicians integrated the first and second stages inside the spaceport's Vehicle Assembly Building. Four large solid rocket boosters will be added later.

Japanese designers devised the H-2B to take advantage of parts proven by the less powerful H-2A, which has successfully launched 14 times since debuting in 2001. One H-2A rocket failed to orbit a pair of spy satellites during a 2003 flight.

The H-2B rocket uses a larger "widebody" first stage with a diameter of about 17 feet. The H-2A's first stage measures 13 feet wide.

The widebody stage houses larger propellant tanks that feed dual hydrogen-fueled LE-7A main engines. The H-2A first stage is powered by an identical single main engine.

The H-2B's second stage and solid rocket boosters are unchanged from the designs used by the H-2A rocket.

The new rocket's streamlined development has allowed officials keep development costs to an estimated $444 million. The funding is being split between JAXA and Mitsubishi.

Japanese officials have penciled in the H-2B's first launch for early September. The mission will carry a new cargo delivery ship for the international space station.

The first H-2 Transfer Vehicle is undergoing final checks at JAXA's Tsukuba space center near Tokyo. The HTV is scheduled to be shipped to Tanegashima later this month to begin launch processing.

The HTV will carry experiments, spare parts and crew supplies to the station. The craft will be grappled by the complex's robot arm and attached to the station's Harmony module for about one month.

After departing the station, the HTV will plunge into the Pacific Ocean, destroying the spacecraft and a load of garbage loaded aboard the ship by the outpost's crew.

JAXA has agreed to launch at least seven HTV's to the station over the next decade.

Officials say they also hope to put the H-2B rocket on the commercial market. Engineers predict the launcher will be able to deliver more than 17,000 pounds to geosynchronous transfer orbit, a number that closely matches other leading commercial launch providers.

Цитировать

Цитировать

Цитировать

ЦитироватьИ на этом фоне предлагается уже второй эквивалент Протона.

40-тонник нужен.

В данный момент светит, что Sea Launch без заказов останется, а вам всё "40-тонник нужен", почему не "60-тонник" тогда? ;) :D
 Можно подумать есть какая-то "очередь" на запуски и десятки аппаратов дожидаются пуска по причине отсутствия ракеты. :)

40-тонник нужен не для коммерции (точнее, не только для нее).

ЦитироватьТолько когда ПН уйдут за шесть тонн на ГПО придётся в лучшем случае сосать лапу. :roll:

ЦитироватьВот и ещё одна Протон обошла. :(

ЦитироватьNew Japanese rocket conducts longer engine firing
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: April 22, 2009

For the second time this month, Japanese engineers rolled the nation's new H-2B rocket to the launch pad and fired its two main engines Wednesday, this time for a thundering two-and-a-half minutes.
    
(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/7836.jpg)
Credit: JAXA
 

The 17-foot-diameter heavy-lifting rocket ignited its two LE-7A engines at 1 p.m. local time, or 0400 GMT.

The hydrogen-fueled engines each revved up to about 200,000 pounds of thrust and burned for 150 seconds.

Officials planned the test to measure vibrations the rocket will experience during the first stage burn. Engineers also used the demo to verify the pressure characteristics of the rocket, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The test firing used the real first and second stages destined for flight on the H-2B rocket's first launch in September.

The launch team was also exercised during Wednesday's test, which included a mock countdown that included loading of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the first stage propellant tanks.

Wednesday's test was postponed from Monday because of poor weather on Tanegashima Island, home of Japan's spaceport near the southern tip of the country, according to JAXA.

The rocket waited out the delay on Launch Pad No. 2 at Tanegashima's Yoshinobu launch complex.

The H-2B went through another countdown rehearsal and engine test on April 2. That firing lasted only 10 seconds.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/7837.jpg)    
An artist's concept shows the future H-2B rocket lifting off. Credit: JAXA
 
JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., the rocket's prime contractor, have already rolled the partially-integrated launcher back to Tanegashima's Vehicle Assembly Building to begin checking it for compatibility with ground infrastructure.

Technicians will remove two inert solid rocket boosters from the base of the first stage and replace them with four motors packed with flammable solid propellant. Engineers added the inert boosters for the long-duration engine test to provide extra weight to the vehicle for additional stability, a JAXA spokesperson said.

JAXA will also replace the engines tested Wednesday with new powerplants, officials said.

The launch team will also conduct a full-up practice countdown, including fueling of both stages with cryogenic propellants and standard pre-launch tests that were not part of this month's activities.

After the ground interface checks are completed this summer, workers will bolt the H-2 Transfer Vehicle atop the rocket during the final launch campaign.

The HTV will ferry experiments, spare parts and crew supplies to the international space station during the September mission. The cylindrical craft will be grappled by the complex's robot arm and attached to the station's Harmony module for about one month.

Components of the first HTV left their testing facility at the Tsukuba space center near Tokyo last week.

The equipment was shipped by boat from the Japanese mainland to Tanegashima, where it arrived a few days later, a JAXA spokesperson said.

(https://img.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/7838.jpg)
An artist's concept of HTV nearing the space station. Credit: JAXA

Workers will spend the next few months double-checking the spacecraft's readiness for flight and putting together the vehicle's parts. Officials will also load the HTV with maneuvering fuel that will fine-tune the craft's approach to the station.

The $444 million H-2B rocket program was established to develop a new launcher with the lifting capacity to haul the 36,000-pound ship to the space station's orbit.

Officials reduced development costs by designing the new rocket around Japan's existing H-2A rocket, which has launched government satellites on 15 flights, amassing a 93 percent success record.

The H-2B uses a stretched first stage that is four feet wider than the H-2A rocket. The "widebody" first stage uses two LE-7A main engines, while the H-2A rocket is powered an identical single engine.

The H-2B's second stage and four solid rocket boosters are unchanged from the hardware used by the H-2A rocket.

ЦитироватьOnce the HTV is within a certain distance from the ISS, the HTV thrusters will be disabled. Next, the HTV is grappled by Canadarm2 and berthed to the nadir (bottom) side of "Harmony" (Node 2), through Harmony's Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM).

ЦитироватьNext, the ISS crew will unload the Exposed Pallet from the HTV Unpressurized Logistics Carrier and attach it to the ISS Mobile Base System or Kibo's Exposed Facility using the Canadarm2.

ЦитироватьЯпонская ракета-носитель H2A / H2A Launch Vehicle
Год выпуска: 2007
Страна: Великобритания
Продолжительность: 44 минуты
Перевод: 1-голосый профессиональный
Русские субтитры: нет
Описание: Долгое время первентсво в космических технологиях одерживали Россия и США, но со временем также Франция и Япония стала интересоваться космосом. Космос это не только исследования, но и прибыльный сектор экономики. Кроме запусков аппаратов по изучению космоса и пилотируемых миссий на МКС, страны занимаются запуском коммерческих спутников, но чем же их запускать. Поэтому нужна надёжная ракета, чтобы зарекомендовать себя, как надёжного партнёра в космической коммерции.
Качество: SATRip
Формат: AVI
Видео кодек: XviD
Аудио кодек: AC3
Видео: 720x480 25.00fps 1200Kbps
Аудио: 48000Hz stereo 128Kbps

ЦитироватьJapan's H2A rocket to receive major upgrade to compete with Russia[/size]

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) intends to embark on major improvements to Japan's domestically-developed H2A rocket, adding high-performance capabilities and cutting down on launch costs in order to compete with Russia and Europe, which currently dominates the market for launching commercial satellites.

The improvements will be the first major overhaul of the H2A rocket since its introduction in 2001. JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will form a project team in the near future, aiming for a 2013 launch of the improved rocket. The size of the rocket will stay the same as the current model, and the H2A name will carry on. The total cost of the project is estimated at 16.1 billion yen. MEXT will request around 2.2 billion yen of next fiscal year's budget for development of the new rocket fuselage and other parts.

The new version of the H2A is planned to be a two-stage rocket that will use a propulsion technique of repeatedly beginning and halting fuel combustion. Observation satellites, which are in high demand and need to be at altitudes of 500 to 1,000 kilometers for their sun-synchronous orbits, will be able to be carried two per launch and be released one after the other at different altitudes. Being able to put two satellites in orbit on a single rocket launch will reduce the launching price per satellite by 30 to 40 percent. Furthermore, broadcast and communications satellites, which need a stationary orbit of 36,000 kilometers, will be able to be released more closely to this altitude, reducing the amount of fuel needed by the satellites to make orbital corrections after their release. The saved fuel will extend their usable lives by three to five years.

Recent developments cast a favorable light on Japan's rocket industry. On Sept. 11, the H2A was used to successfully launch the quasi-zenith satellite "Michibiki," part of a new quasi-zenith satellite system which will augment the reception of GPS systems. The launch brought the H2A's success rate to 94.4 percent, on par with world standards. Additionally, the current restricted period for rocket launches from Tanegashima Space Center in Kyushu will be abolished from next fiscal year following negotiations with the local fishing industry. By adding the improvements to the H2A on top of these positive developments, MEXT hopes to put Japan on equal footing with Russia and Europe, which currently nearly monopolizes the market for commercial satellite orders because of the low costs it charges.

There are obstacles facing MEXT's project, however. With 10 years having passed since the first H2A rocket was built, many of the rocket's electronics and other parts are no longer easily accessible because their manufacturing has been discontinued. Additionally, Japan's launch facilities have become dilapidated from age. Improvements on these fronts are planned to proceed as well.

"Other countries also overhaul their rockets every five to 10 years. We want to stem the withdrawal of parts manufacturers and the loss of technical progress (in rocket technology)," explained a MEXT spokesperson.

Цитироватьhttp://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20100917p2a00m0na017000c.html

ЦитироватьJapan's H2A rocket to receive major upgrade to compete with Russia[/size]

The new version of the H2A is planned to be a two-stage rocket that will use a propulsion technique of repeatedly beginning and halting fuel combustion. Observation satellites, which are in high demand and need to be at altitudes of 500 to 1,000 kilometers for their sun-synchronous orbits, will be able to be carried two per launch and be released one after the other at different altitudes. Being able to put two satellites in orbit on a single rocket launch will reduce the launching price per satellite by 30 to 40 percent. Furthermore, broadcast and communications satellites, which need a stationary orbit of 36,000 kilometers, will be able to be released more closely to this altitude, reducing the amount of fuel needed by the satellites to make orbital corrections after their release. The saved fuel will extend their usable lives by three to five years.

ЦитироватьНе понял в чем фича?

Цитировать...
 - разработать адаптер-"автобус" или "табуретку" по типу Ариан, чтобы запускать по два спутника
...
Кстати я вам гарантирую, что адаптер под 2 КА будет летать и на H-IIB, ведь верхняя ступень у них практически одинаковая.

ЦитироватьJapan plans H-2A rocket improvements by mid-2010s[/size]
BY STEPHEN CLARK
SPACEFLIGHT NOW
Posted: October 16, 2010

Continuing efforts to snare an elusive share of commercial launches, the Japanese government and industry are planning upgrades to the country's H-2A rocket to make it more competitive in the global marketplace.

First reported by Japanese media in September, the improvements were the subject of a detailed presentation at the 61st International Astronautical Congress in Prague.

The first phase of the H-2A upgrades should be operational by the mid-2010s, enabling the launcher to more effectively carry dual payloads to polar trajectories and deploy communications satellites closer to their targeted geosynchronous orbits.

Engineers are following a block approach to keep the H-2A's high reliability and reduce development costs while introducing new capabilities, according to Takashi Nakamura, project manager for the post-H-2A launch vehicle program at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., the rocket's contractor and commercial operator.

Since its first flight in 2001, the H-2A rocket has accrued 17 successful missions in 18 attempts.

All H-2A launches to date have carried primary payloads for the Japanese government, but MHI will orbit South Korea's Kompsat 3 reconnaissance satellite in 2011 or 2012. Kompsat 3 is the H-2A rocket's first major commercial passenger.

Like most Earth observation satellites, Kompsat 3 will circle the planet in a sun-synchronous orbit permitting consistent flyover times all around the world.

One of the H-2A upgrades will enhance the rocket's ability to deliver two satellites to sun-synchronous orbits at different altitudes. The current incarnation of the rocket can inject two satellites at the same height, according to Nakamura.

"With an upgraded H-2A, we'll have the capability to launch dual payloads to different altitudes," Nakamura said.

Rocket designers plan to introduce newly-qualified features of the launcher's LE-5B second stage engine, including low-thrust firings at throttle settings of 60 percent and 3 percent, according to Nakamura.

The 60 percent thrust mode was tested in flight in 2002 and an H-2A mission in May demonstrated a pressure-fed firing of the LE-5B engine at 3 percent thrust.

More ground tests are on tap in the next few months to investigate other low-thrust engine settings, Nakamura said. A slight modification to the rocket's guidance system will also make possible brief upper stage engine firings needed to make small altitude changes.

The other objective of the H-2A evolution program is to heave larger communications satellites to orbit and drop them closer to their ultimate destination.

Engineers are crafting methods of managing the H-2A upper stage's usage of propellant. The rocket burns cryogenic liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, which must be maintained at super-cold temperatures to remain in a liquid state.

Nakamura said the H-2A upper stage will be painted white to reduce the vaporization rate of cryogenic liquid hydrogen. Engineers hope to save liquid oxygen by employing a different engine chilldown sequence before each ignition, reducing the consumption of oxidizer.

Unburned hydrogen gas could also supplement chemical thrusters to control the upper stage's orientation between burns, conserving maneuvering fuel, Nakamura said.

The changes will allow the H-2A upper stage to ignite three times and coast for up to five hours each mission. The extra LE-5B engine firing will place communications satellites closer to their ultimate targets in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles above Earth.

Rockets routinely release communications payloads short of their final destination, and the satellites must use an on-board engine for the rest of the journey. If a spacecraft doesn't need to travel as far, it can save its own fuel and extend its useful life.

Japan is also designing a new payload adapter fitting to connect satellites to the H-2A upper stage, giving spacecraft passengers a more comfortable ride during liftoff.

The H-2A improvements will cost nearly $200 million, according to Japanese officials.

"The modifications to the vehicle are relatively minor, and they are based on proven technologies," Nakamura said.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is also renovating facilities at the Tanegashima Space Center, the H-2A rocket's launch site.

Japan is already evaluating a replacement rocket for the H-2A, but its development has not won final government approval and its first flight is not anticipated until the 2020s, Nakamura told Spaceflight Now.

Dubbed the H-X in planning documents, the new launcher would be designed to human-rating standards to support a potential Japenese manned spacecraft.

"Although we know that there are many obstacles for realization of human transportation in Japan, the discussion of this issue has been more open in recent years," Nakamura said.

The Japanese government is already funding studies of upgrading the H-2 Transfer Vehicle, an unmanned resupply freighter for the International Space Station, to return to Earth with cargo. If approved, the re-entry version of the HTV could be designed with a clear emphasis on its future applicability as a manned spacecraft.

Engineers have settled on the H-X's basic configuration. It would likely be a two-stage vehicle with liquid-fueled engines and no solid rocket motors.

But officials have not determined the specifications and numbers of the engines for the H-X rocket, Nakamura said.

ЦитироватьЯпония планирует обновить ракету-носитель H-2A
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(23:04) 27.10.2010
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Японское космическое агентство надеется расширить свое присутствие на рынке коммерческих запусков, обновив основной проект своей космонавтики - ракету-носитель H-2A. Новая версия ракеты должна сделать ее более конкурентной на международных рынках. В рамках первой фазы проекта, которая должна завершиться примерно к 2015 году, ракета должна будет выводить на околоземную орбиту двойную полезную нагрузку на полярные траектории, а также позволять выводить спутники на высокие геосинхронные орбиты.

По словам Такахаши Накамуры, проектного менеджера H-2A в компании Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, одновременно с получением новых возможностей, должна быть повышена надежность старта и снижена себестоимость затрат на подготовку к старту.

Согласно данным статистики, с 2011 года ракета H-2A провела 17 успешных стартов в 18 попытках. Почти все запуски H-2A - это заказ японского правительства. Правда, в 2011-12 годах H-2A должна будет на коммерческой основе вывести на орбиту корейский спутник разведки Kompsat 3. Фактически, Южная Корея станет первым коммерческим пассажиром H-2A. Как и другие спутники наблюдения, Kompsat 3 будет вращаться вокруг Земли на солнечно-синхронной орбите, позволяя аппарату наблюдать за всей планетой.

В Японии говорят, что одно из обновлений H-2A - это возможность доставлять на орбиту два спутника сразу на разные орбиты. Нынешняя версия ракеты тоже может нести два спутника, но отделять их она может только на одной высоте. Кроме того, в обновленной версии будет присутствовать новый двигатель второй ступени LE-5B, который сможет варьировать тягу в широком диапазоне от 60% до 3%.

С 60%-ной тягой вторая ступень H-2A летала в 2002 году, а в мае этого года новый двигатель LE-5B работал на минимальной 3%-ной тяге. В предстоящие месяцы Япония проведет еще несколько тестов своих двигателей. За счет малой тяги двигатель сможет выводить разные спутники, которые будут незначительно различаться высотой орбиты.

Еще одним новшеством должны стать возможность выводить большие телекоммуникационные спутники и отстыковывать их максимально точно на заданной высоте. Для этого инженеры модифицируют верхнюю часть второй ступени. Работать двигатель второй ступени будет на жидких водороде и кислороде, охлажденных до нескольких сотен градусов, чтобы оставаться жидкими. Также инженеры внесут коррективы в систему зажигания каждого двигателя, чтобы сэкономить на старте окислитель.

Все эти изменения должны позволить H-2A выводить широкий диапазон спутников на различные орбиты. Более того, в японском космическом агентстве Jaxa говорят, что планируют создать специальные адаптеры, чтобы еще больше разнообразить пусковые возможности. Все заявленные модификации обойдутся как минимум в 200 млн долларов.

"Модификации в корпус ракеты будут минимальными, здесь технологии проверенные и надежные", - говорит Накамура.

По его словам Jaxa дополнительно планирует обновить и стартовую площадку на космодроме Танегашима, откуда стартуют H-2A.

Напомним, что параллельно с H-2A в Японии ведут работу и над ракетой H-X, которая должна стать средством для вывода будущих японских пилотируемых кораблей

ЦитироватьIt is the first rocket engine in the world which uses the hydrogen used for the cooling of the thrust chamber as the turbine gas.

ЦитироватьPresently, the Japanese LE-5A and LE-5B engines are the
only flight-proven bleed cycle engines.

ЦитироватьSize
Height    53 m (173 ft)
Diameter    4 m (13.1 ft)
Mass    445,000 kg (981,057 lb)
Stages    2
Capacity
Payload to LEO    10,000 - 15,000 kg (22,046 - 33,069 lb)
Payload to
GTO    4,100 - 6,000 kg (9,038 - 13,227 lb)
Launch history
Status    Active

ЦитироватьТеоретически "маленькие" 280-тонные H-IIA все еще доступны, если это кому-то надо.

ЦитироватьРакета-носитель: H-IIA F17 (модификация 202) с 2-мя ТТУ, стартовая масса 291 т, в том числе (указана масса полная/масса топлива): 1ая ступень - 114/101 т, 2ая ступень - 20/17 т, два ТТУ - 153/132 т, ПН - 1.4 т

ЦитироватьApollo13 пишет:
Не нашел темы по H-2, поэтому оставлю здесь.

ЦитироватьPeter B. de Selding ‏ @pbdes     30m30 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/907509533114818560)
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Japan's @Mitsubishi_H to launch 1 of two  @InmarsatGlobal (https://twitter.com/InmarsatGlobal)  Inmarsat-6 L-band satellites, aboard H-2A rocket, in 2020. Big win for MHI.

Цитироватьhttps://www.inmarsat.com/press-release/mhi-selected-inmarsat-launch-first-inmarsat-6-satellite/
MHI sel ected by Inmarsat to launch its first Inmarsat-6 satellite
London/Tokyo: 12 September 2017 – Inmarsat (LON: ISAT), the world's leading provider of global mobile satellite communication services, has today announced that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has been selected as the launch provider for the first satellite in the Inmarsat-6 fleet (Inmarsat-6 F1). The value of the contract has not been disclosed. The satellite, which is under construction by Airbus Defence and Space, is scheduled for launch in 2020 using MHI's H-IIA launch vehicle.

Inmarsat's sixth-generation (I-6) fleet will be the first to feature dual-payload satellites; each supporting L-band and Ka-band (Global Xpress) services. The I-6 satellites represent a step change in the capacity of Inmarsat's L-band services and will support a new generation of L-band capabilities, fr om advanced global safety services and very low cost mobile services, to Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The Ka-band payload will add further depth to Inmarsat's Global Xpress (GX) constellation, which began offering high-throughput broadband services worldwide in 2015. Through the I-6's Ka-band payload, Inmarsat will augment its global coverage with greater depth of capacity in regions of greatest demand.

"Inmarsat is delighted to select MHI and its H-IIA launch vehicle for the first of our sixth generation satellites," said Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat. "Inmarsat is continually seeking to extend and diversify its ecosystem of partners, particularly in the strategically important area of launch providers. We believe that MHI and its H-IIA launch vehicle offers a world-class service.

"With the development of the new H3 launch vehicle, it is clear that MHI is committed to continuing innovation," continued Rupert Pearce. "These are attributes that we seek in our partners and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with MHI as one of our roster of launch partners."

Спойлер

"We are honoured to have been selected by Inmarsat, a leader in the global mobile satellite communications industry, to provide launch services. The decision reflects the reliability and on-time delivery of our launches, as well as our highly valued technological expertise," said Masahiro Atsumi, Vice President & Senior General Manager for Space Systems in MHI. "As with previous launches, MHI will work closely and attentively – in the spirit of omotenashi – with Inmarsat to prepare the specifics of the launch to ensure that expectations are met. We hope to build a strong and lasting relationship with them, and to provide further launch services using our latest H3 rocket in future."

MHI Launch Services enjoys an extremely high success rate of 97.6% and has provided 35 successful consecutive launches since 2005, delivered on-time and to the customer's satisfaction. The successor to the H-IIA – the H3 Launch Vehicle – is now being developed by MHI and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It will allow even more flexible and cost-efficient launch services, and is scheduled to make its maiden flight in 2020.

The agreement with Inmarsat reflects MHI's long-term commitment to supporting a wide range of customers in the space industry. MHI will continue to support the development of the space industry, and will seek further new opportunities in this field both in Japan and globally.

[свернуть]

Inmarsat will make a decision on its launch partner for the second I-6 satellite in due course.