By GO TAKAHASHI/ Staff Writer
December 11, 2024 at 16:06 JST
The part of the HTV-X cargo spacecraft developed by Mitsubishi Electric Corp. (Go Takahashi)
Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has rolled out its contribution to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's next-generation supply vehicle that will transport essential cargo to the International Space Station.
The unveiling on Dec. 10 took place at the company’s plant in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, just west of Tokyo.
Mitsubishi Electric developed the main part of the HTV-X cargo spacecraft that provides functions needed for flight, including electricity, control and communications.
The cargo hold of the spacecraft to carry supplies and equipment to the ISS is being developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
The new vehicle will replace the Kounotori HTV vehicle, which provided supplies for about 15 years to the ISS before it was retired in 2020.
Plans call for launching the HTV-X in fiscal 2025 on an H-3 launch vehicle.
The HTV-X measures 8 meters in length and weighs about 16 tons. It will have 1.5 times the cargo transport capability of the HTV.
Consideration is also being given to modifying the HTV-X in the future so that it can transport supplies to the Gateway, a space station being constructed by the United States that will orbit the moon as part of the Artemis manned lunar mission program.
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