Japan launches cargo rocket for space station

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the H-2B rocket -- an upgrade of the country's H-2A -- took off early Friday from the space center on Tanegashima, a remote island in southern Japan. Its payload, the HTV transportation vehicle, successfully separated from the rocket about 15 minutes after liftoff, according to the agency, known as JAXA.

The transport vehicle is taking 4.5 tons of supplies, including freeze-dried space food, bread, soap and other equipment, to Japan's Kibo laboratory module on the International Space Station, which is at the altitude of 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth.

Japan is scheduled to launch six more HTVs -- one every year through 2015 -- for the multinational space project; Kazinform cites China Daily. See www.chinadaily.com.cn  for full version.