A diagram showing the components of the HTV-5/Kounotori-5 spacecraft.
Advertisement
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)will roll out its H-IIB rocket this afternoon at the Tanegashima Space Center, according to US space agency NASA.
The cargo also contains parts for a water recycling system, after the US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA asked its Japanese counterparts to include them as “emergency materials” following the failure in June to launch the US Falcon 9 rocket.
“It was released successfully and we will check if it now can go into its scheduled orbit”, said an official of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a launch partner.
The launch day and time during the launch windows shall be decided by the international coordination for ISS operations.
The HTV-5 launch was originally scheduled for Sunday, August 16th, but bad weather conditions at the launch site pushed back the mission.
The event is now set to take place on Wednesday. NASA TV coverage of the launch will begin at 8:15 a.m. On Aug. 20, the HTV-5 will approach the station from below and slowly inch its way toward the orbital complex.
Advertisement
Developed and built in Japan, the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) known as “KOUNOTORI (white stork)” is an unmanned cargo transfer spacecraft that delivers supplies to the ISS. The ship will ferry 4.5 tons of cargo to the space station’s six-person crew, including water, experiment components, and spare parts. He received his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, and continues to study dinosaurs and other prehistoric life.
