Japan successfully launches new cargo spacecraft to supply ISS

Japan’s space agency on Sunday successfully launched its new H3 rocket carrying an unmanned cargo spacecraft for its inaugural mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the HTV-X1 spacecraft lifted off smoothly atop the No. 7 H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The spacecraft separated as planned and was placed into its designated orbit. If all goes according to schedule, it is expected to reach the ISS in a few days to deliver supplies. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, currently aboard the ISS, is slated to capture the spacecraft with a robotic arm early Thursday.

HTV-X1 succeeds JAXA’s previous unmanned H-II Transfer Vehicle, known as Kounotori, which completed nine missions between 2009 and 2020. The new freighter can carry a larger payload and provide power in flight, allowing transport of cells and other laboratory samples that require low-temperature storage.

Designed to remain docked at the ISS for up to six months, the HTV-X will deliver supplies, collect waste, and conduct technical missions during a three-month orbital flight after departure from the station.

The H3 rocket replaces Japan’s long-serving H-2A rocket, which completed its final flight in June, offering a more cost-competitive platform for global space missions. The H3 has recorded six consecutive successful launches following a failed maiden flight in 2023, when the rocket and payload had to be destroyed.

Japan considers a reliable and commercially competitive space transport system essential to its national space program and security strategy.

Source: AP