iSIM-170 has successfully arrived at the International Space Station
After 5 days of orbital journey, on Monday May 25th at 14:13 CEST, the Japanese freighter HTV9 has been successfully captured by the International Space Station, carrying the iSIM-170 instrument onboard.
The launch of the HTV9 mission took place on May 20th at 19:30 CEST from the Japanese island of Tanegashima in southern Japan. The H-2B launcher lifted off the HTV spacecraft, called Kounotori, containing resupplies for the International Space Station as well as hardware for scientific and commercial missions. The iSIM-170 payload developed by SATLANTIS travelled inside the pressurised module of Kounotori.
After 2 hours of careful manoeuvring, ISS Commander Chris Cassidy of NASA, in charge of operating the station’s robotic arm, has successfully berthed the HTV supply ship to the Harmony module of the ISS.
On June 10th, an astronaut will install iSIM-170 on the i-SEEP platform outside the KIBO module, from which the payload will capture images of our planet in 80cm resolution. On this very special occasion, a ceremony involving Japanese and Spanish authorities will be organised to celebrate the success of the mission. This event sets three records in the Space industry:
- It is the first time a Spanish optical telescope arrives into Space.
- It is the first sub-meter resolution imager that weighs less than 15kg.
- It is the first time a non-Japanese optical instrument is installed on the i-SEEP-KIBO module.
“Two more instruments of the iSIM family are getting ready for upcoming missions” – says Juan Tomás Hernani, CEO of SATLANTIS.
“Our second mission will also arrive to the ISS, but this time to the American module as part of a collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD). The third mission will be carried out in collaboration with ESA, where an iSIM camera installed onboard a 12U nanosatellite will provide high-resolution imagery for the Oil&Gas sector”. These missions demonstrate SATLANTIS’ active collaboration with three of the main space agencies in the world: ESA, JAXA and NASA.
Links to other news:
INFORMACIÓN AEROESPACIAL https://actualidadaeroespacial.com/llega-a-la-iss-la-nave-htv-9-con-la-camara-isim-170-de-la-empresa-vasca-satlantis/
NAIZ https://www.naiz.eus/eu/actualidad/noticia/20200525/la-camara-optica-de-la-compania
DEIA Economía – https://www.deia.eus/economia/2020/05/21/empresa-vasca-satlantis-espacio/1040049.html
THE WORLD NEWS https://theworldnews.net/es-news/la-camara-pionera-de-satlantis-llega-a-la-estacion-espacial-internacional
EL DIARIO.es https://www.eldiario.es/norte/euskadi/camara-Satlantis-Estacion-Espacial-Internacional_0_1030997924.html
EUROPA PRESS País Vasco https://www.europapress.es/euskadi/noticia-camara-satlantis-llega-estacion-espacial-internacional-20200525215456.html