H-IIB

H-2B

Mission Profile

The H-IIB (H-2B) was a two-stage Japanese heavy-lift launch vehicle in the H-II family, an enlarged variant with a wider core stage and dual LE-7A engines designed to launch the HTV cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station. Standing 56.6 m tall with a 5.2 m core diameter and a liftoff mass of 531 tonnes, it generated 11,220 kN of liftoff thrust and could deliver 19,000 kg to low Earth orbit or 8,000 kg to geostationary transfer orbit. First flying in September 2009, the H-IIB launched all nine HTV missions with perfect reliability before being retired in favour of the H3.