MHI Ships the Last H-IIB Launch Vehicle (No. 9)

Mar 17, 2020 17:15 JST

Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

- Final Shipment from Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works Tobishima Plant -

- Tobishima Plant has undertaken assembly, parts installation and functional testing
- H-IIBs have launched nine H-II Transfer Vehicles "KOUNOTORI" (HTVs), the cargo transporter to the International Space Station (ISS) since 2009
- Superior quality with 100% successful launch rate

TOKYO, Mar 17, 2020 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) shipped the core of the last H-IIB Launch Vehicle (No. 9) from the Tobishima Plant of the Nagoya Aerospace Systems Works in Aichi Prefecture to the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture. All nine H-IIB Launch Vehicles have been shipped from the Tobishima Plant over the course of 11 years, tracing back to the first shipment in February 2009. Their outstanding quality has contributed significantly to the vehicles' 100% successful launch rate.

The core of the H-IIB Launch Vehicle

The H-IIB is Japan's primary large-scale launch vehicle. Based on the technology of the H-IIA, the H-IIB has offered significantly enhanced launch capacity enabled by increased engine propulsion and large-scale satellite fairings protecting the payload. The H-IIB Launch Vehicles have served to launch the H-II Transfer Vehicles "KOUNOTORI" (HTVs) the cargo transporter to the ISS. The ISS functions as an internationally operated, manned experimental space facility located some 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface. The Tobishima Plant has undertaken assembly, parts installation and functional testing of all H-IIB Launch Vehicles.

Going forward, MHI will continue to focus on maintaining the outstanding strength and quality of its space-related technologies while also pursuing ever-higher productivity, making further contributions to the aerospace industry through its H-IIA launch services and development of the H3 Launch Vehicle.

About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world's leading industrial firms. For more than 130 years, we have channeled big thinking into solutions that move the world forward - advancing the lives of everyone who shares our planet. We deliver innovative and integrated solutions across a wide range of industries, covering land, sea, sky and even space. MHI Group employs 80,000 people across 400 locations, operating in three business domains: "Power Systems," "Industry & Infrastructure," "Aircraft, Defense & Space." We have a consolidated revenue of around 40 billion U.S. Dollars. We aim to contribute to environmental sustainability while achieving global growth, using our leading-edge technologies. By bringing people and ideas together as one, we continue to pave the way to a future of shared success.

For more information, please visit MHI's website: https://www.mhi.com
For Technology, Trends and Tangents, visit MHI's new online media SPECTRA: https://spectra.mhi.com

Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Sectors: Aerospace/Defence