Fairing for H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 3 Completed

Tokyo, July 22, 2011 — Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that it has completed a payload fairing (PLF^*1) for the H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 3. After design and manufacturing of the PLF at Kawasaki's Gifu Works, the fairing was assembled at its Harima Works. The PLF will be transported by sea to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Tanegashima Space Center where it will be incorporated into the H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 3 in preparation for the upcoming launch of JAXA’s HTV-3^*2 unmanned cargo transporter.

The 5S-H PLF is a longer version of the five-meter single (5S) model designed for the H-IIA Launch Vehicle. It features a 15-meter-long cylinder, which is three meters longer than the 5S model, as well as a reinforced structure that is designed to carry heavier payloads. The 5S-H PLF will carry one HTV.

Since delivering its first PLF for the H-II launch vehicle in 1993, Kawasaki has supplied PLFs for a total of seven H-II launch vehicles. Kawasaki has developed and manufactured a wide spectrum of PLFs for H-IIA launch vehicles, including four-meter single (4S), four-meter dual (4/4D), and five-meter single fairings (5S). These PLF’s have been designed to meet a broad range of payload specifications, covering everything from the launch of large satellites to the simultaneous launch of dual satellites. In addition to supplying these PLFs that have been a key component in 19 different launch vehicles to date, Kawasaki has supplied PLFs for two H-IIB launch vehicles.

Kawasaki is playing a vital role in today’s satellite launch industry via the development and production of cutting-edge PLFs.

Overview of PLF for H-IIB Launch Vehicle No. 3

*1. A payload fairing is an enclosure installed at the tip of a launch vehicle that protects the satellite from aerodynamic heating, acoustic noise and vibration during liftoff. After the launch vehicle leaves the earth's atmosphere, the fairing splits in two and is jettisoned, allowing the satellite to separate from the launch vehicle.

*2. The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) is an unmanned cargo transporter developed in Japan that is designed to deliver supplies to the International Space Station.