The Conceptual Study of H-II Orbiting Plane (HOPE)

The concept of unmanned space transportation system, called H-II Orbiting Plane (HOPE), has been defined. The main missions are the retrieval from the Japanese Experimental Module (JEM) of the International Space Station (ISS) and space platforms and the acquisition of the technological possibility for the fully reusable space plane. The key technologies of the HOPE are the reusable thermal protection system, rendezvous and docking, reentry guidance and hypersonic aerodynamics of a winged vehicle.