Press Release

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"KOUNOTORI" Chosen as Nickname
of the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV)

November 11, 2010 (JST)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) conducted a nickname campaign for the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), a cargo transporter to the International Space Station (ISS), between August 27 (Fri.) and September 30 (Thu.), 2010, to familiarize people with the HTV.

Among many suggestions, the following nickname was selected.

  1. Selection result: The chosen nickname is "KOUNOTORI" meaning "white stork"
  2. Reason for selection
    A white stork carries an image of conveying an important thing (a baby, happiness, and other joyful things); therefore, it precisely expresses the HTV's mission to transport essential materials to the ISS.
  3. Received application:
    Total: 17,236 (Among them, acceptable applications totaled 17,026, and those who proposed "KOUNOTORI" was 217.)
    (Breakdown)
    Through the Website 13,528
    FAX, Postcard 1,077
    Application form 2,631

Note) JAXA will send a certificate and a commemorative gift to all godparents of "KOUNOTORI." The winner of the trip to the Tanegashima Space Center to see off the KOUNOTORI launch has been announced on the website of the International Space Station (ISS) / Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo" (http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/htv/).