TANEGASHIMA, Kagoshima -- An H-2B rocket carrying a Kounotori unmanned cargo spacecraft successfully took off from Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 2:52 a.m. Sunday.
About 15 minutes after the launch, the Kounotori 7 separated from the H-2B Launch Vehicle No. 7 and entered into orbit, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.
Sunday's launch marked the seventh consecutive successful takeoff of an H-2B rocket. The Kounotori 7 is scheduled to dock at the International Space Station on Thursday evening.
In addition to daily necessities such as space food and clothing, the Kounotori is equipped with a small reentry capsule weighing about 180 kilograms, which will be used to bring test samples back to Earth. It is also equipped with lithium-ion batteries that can be used as a power source for the ISS as well as three CubeSats to be released from the ISS.
The cargo carried by the Kounotori weighs about 6.2 tons, the heaviest load ever handled by such a spacecraft.
The launch was initially scheduled for Sept. 11 but was postponed four times due to bad weather and an abnormality in a valve that adjusts pressure in the rocket's liquid oxygen tank.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
