The wet dress rehearsal (cryogenic test) of H-IIA launch vehicle No.7 for launching the Multi-functional Transport Satellite-1 Replacement (MTSAT-1R) was completed successfully at the Tanegashima Space Center on February 6.
This rehearsal is to verify all functions of a launch vehicle, ground equipments and facilities pouring liquid hydrogen and oxygen into fuel tanks of the first stage and the second stage.
The launch vehicle No.7 on the Mobile Launcher(ML) was moved to the Launch Pad (LP) 500m distant from the Vehicle Assembly Building(VAB), and arrived at the LP in 11:09 am on February 5 taking 30 minutes.
X-time (simulated launch time) was settled at 10:40 am on February 6 and the test has completed as planned.
Propellant loading into the MTSAT-1R satellite has already completed at the end of January, and we are going to fix it with a payload adapter on February 8 and then encapsulating fairing and boarding on the launch vehicle. All these combined operations will be completed by February 16.
Every thing is going well forward to the launch, planned on February 24 (launch window: 17:09 – 18:34 (JST)).
