spacetoday.net: HTV launch set for Wednesday

HTV launch set for Wednesday

Posted: Tue, Aug 18, 2015, 11:20 PM ET (0320 GMT)
H-2B rocket before HTV-5 launch (NASA)

A Japanese cargo spacecraft is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on Wednesday after several days of weather delays. The H-2B rocket is set to lift off from the Tanegashima Space Center at 7:50 am EDT (1150 GMT, 8:50 pm local time) carrying the H-2 Transfer Vehicle (HTV) 5 spacecraft. HTV-5 is carrying more than 4.5 tons of supplies and equipment, as well as a 635-kilogram astrophysics experiment in the vehicle's unpressurized section that will be mounted on the station's exterior. The launch was scheduled for Sunday but postponed to Monday, then Wednesday, because of poor weather at the launch site.