Japan has launched its revamped H3 rocket on a mission to resupply the International Space Station (ISS), marking the rocket’s first operational flight carrying cargo.
The HTV-X1 vehicle departed from the Tanegashima Space Center in the south of the country, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) reported. After liftoff, the spacecraft successfully detached from the launch vehicle and began travelling along its designated trajectory, reports UNB/AP.
The shipment is scheduled to arrive at the orbiting station in the coming days. Astronaut Kimiya Yui, who is currently working aboard the ISS, is set to use the station’s robotic arm early Thursday to capture the craft.
HTV-X is the next-generation model that succeeds the earlier H-II Transfer Vehicle, known as Kounotori — the “stork” that completed nine supply runs to the ISS from 2009 to 2020.
The upgraded design allows for more cargo, including materials requiring refrigeration such as live cell samples. It can also provide its own power supply during the journey. The spacecraft may remain docked to the ISS for as long as six months to unload equipment and store trash before conducting several months of additional experiments in orbit following its departure.
