Japan Successfully Launches Kounotori-7 Transport Spacecraft To ISS - JAXA

Japan Successfully Launches Kounotori-7 Transport Spacecraft to ISS - JAXA

Japan successfully launched a H-IIB launch vehicle carrying Kounotori-7 transport spacecraft with a cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), according to a broadcast on the website of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd September, 2018) Japan successfully launched a H-IIB launch vehicle carrying Kounotori-7 transport spacecraft with a cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), according to a broadcast on the website of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The launch, which was postponed several times for technical reasons, was performed at 2.52 a.m. Japanese time on Sunday (17:52 GMT on Saturday) from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture.

The Kounotori-7 should deliver to the ISS a capsule that will bring to Earth the results of experiments conducted aboard the station. It is necessary to check its resistance to loads during passage in the Earth atmosphere, and also to verify its capability to safely deliver cargo to Earth from space.

The spacecraft also carries lithium-ion batteries and an experimental set of two small STARS-Me satellites, which are the first step toward the implementation of the project to build a space elevator.