
Today, Japan has launched an unnamed spacecraft towards the International Space Station, said the operator, after delaying the mission for a few days.
The H-2B rocket was lifted off at 1:05 am (local time) with cargo vessel Kounotori8, said Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on its official website.
The spacecraft launch took place from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Tanegashima Space Center in South-Western Japan.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said, “As planned, the payload separated from the launch vehicle” around 15 minutes later.
A pre-dawn firing on September 11 has postponed the launch from Tanegashima Island.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries continued that the fire was expected lighted by static electricity generated when liquid oxygen from the rocket came into contact with heat-resistant material on the launch pad.
The material was covered with aluminum sheets to avert a recurrence, said sources.
“Kounotori8” means “white stork” in Japanese, which has plans to deliver nearly 5.3 tonnes of supplies to astronauts at the ISS, including fresh water and food, and batteries and devices required for experiments.
In promotional footage on its official website Japan’s space agency, JAXA, advertise the Kounotori8 as “the world’s biggest transport space ship.”
Japan has also introduced other cargo missions to the ISS over the past decade.