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Japan’s Kounotori Cargo Spacecraft successfully docks to ISS

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kounotori H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-6) as it approached the International Space Station on Dec. 12, 2016. (NASA)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kounotori H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-6) as it approached the International Space Station on Dec. 12, 2016. (NASA)
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26 May 2020 03:05:30 GMT9
26 May 2020 03:05:30 GMT9

Japan's Kounotori 9 unmanned cargo spacecraft successfully docked to the International Space Station on May 26, marking the last of Japan’s current series of HTV cargo freighters.

A hatch leading to the ISS was opened about an hour later, and ISS astronauts entered the cargo spacecraft.

The Kounotori 9, carrying 6.2 tons of supplies including Japanese lithium-ion batteries, was launched from the Tanegashima Space Center of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Thursday.

https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1264911734910976001?s=20

All nine Kounotori vehicles have successfully delivered supplies to the ISS since the series made its debut in 2009.

The ninth unit is the last Kounotori vehicle. Its successor, HTV-X, will be launched in fiscal 2021.

JIJI Press

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