Space Flyer Unit

Japan’s Space Flyer Unit carried scientific experiments and technology demonstrations into orbit on the third H-II test vehicle from Tanegashima on March 18, 1995. Its payloads included the Infrared Telescope in Space, materials and biology experiments, solar-array demonstrations, and electric-propulsion research. Before retrieval, controllers worked around thruster failures. Both main solar arrays were jettisoned after retraction sensors failed to confirm proper latching. Koichi Wakata grappled SFU with Endeavour’s robotic arm on January 13, 1996, during STS-72. The Shuttle returned the spacecraft to Kennedy Space Center on January 20.