spacetoday.net: First Japanese cargo spacecraft launched

Posted: Thu, Sep 10, 2009, 10:04 PM ET (0204 GMT)
H-2B launch of HTV (JAXA)

Japan's first spacecraft designed to carry cargo to the International Space Station launched on Thursday. The H-2B rocket carrying the first H-2 Transfer Vehicle (HTV) spacecraft lifted off on schedule at 1:01 pm EDT Thursday (1701 GMT Thursday, 2:01 am JST Friday) and placed the HTV into low Earth orbit 15 minutes later. The HTV will slowly approach and rendezvous with the ISS over the next week; the station's robotic arm will then grapple the spacecraft and berth it to a docking port. The HTV was developed by the Japanese space agency JAXA to ferry cargo to the ISS, supplementing ESA's ATV, Russia's Progress, and NASA's space shuttles. This HTV is carrying about 4.5 tons of supplies, ranging from food to equipment. The launch was also the first for the H-2B, a variant of the H-2 rocket upgraded to launch the HTV.