ETS-VII / Kiku-7

ETS-VII was NASDA's two-spacecraft rendezvous, docking, and space-robotics demonstration. Hikoboshi acted as the chaser and robotic work platform, while Orihime served as a cooperative free-flying target. Automatic and remotely commanded flight experiments were complemented by ground-controlled robotic manipulation. ESA contributed experiments on interactive autonomy and vision-assisted control, and the ground-space link used NASA TDRS relay satellites to extend contact windows.