Japan successfully launches new unmanned cargo spacecraft bound for ISS
Japan on Sunday successfully launched its new unmanned cargo spacecraft on an H3 launch vehicle from a space center on a southwestern island to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, Kyodo reports.
The HTV-X spacecraft has a maximum payload capacity of 6 tons, 1.5 times the carrying capacity of its predecessor, the Kounotori that delivered supplies to the ISS nine times between 2009 and 2020, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
The spacecraft, expected to arrive at the ISS on Thursday, will remain attached for six months and then make an orbital flight to conduct technology demonstration tests for three months.
The launch at the Tanegashima Space Center, initially scheduled for last Tuesday, was postponed due to bad weather.
With a newly added power supply function, the HTV-X can deliver experimental samples that must be kept at low temperatures during transportation.
Two boosters were added to the H3 rocket, now equipped with two main engines and four boosters. Japan aims to meet customer demand by loading multiple satellites onto the rocket in the future.
Earlier, it was reported that Baikonur cosmodrome is preparing for four launches by yearend.
