Accessing space: ISS integration for a US payload on the JEM-EF

Abstract

The Department of Defense (DoD) Space Test Program (STP) has launched the Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean (HICO) & Remote Atmospheric & Ionospheric Detection System (RAIDS) Experiment Payload (HREP) to the International Space Station's Japanese Experiment Module - Exposed Facility (JEM-EF). 12HREP was launched as a NASA payload onboard the JAXA HTV/H-IIB first flight from the Tanegashima Space Center (TNSC) in September 2009. HREP was installed on the ISS and has been functioning since that time. Because STP is the organization responsible for providing launch services for all of DoD's R&D space experiments and has used the International Space Station extensively in the past for its experiments, a concerted effort began seeking means to continue use of the ISS once the Shuttle retires, HREP launching on the JAXA HTV is one of these efforts. This paper presents both the development of HREP and its ISS integration as well as providing insights into issues related to taking a US payload to JAXA for launch. Specifically the paper deals with practical aspects not only of integration but also of living and working in Tanegashima.