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JAXA Prepares to Launch Cargo Spacecraft to Space Station

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JAXA is scheduled to send another cargo supply spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday, September 24. (Photo Credit: NASA)

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is ready to send a cargo spacecraft packed with over four tons of experiment hardware, spare parts, and supplies to the International Space Station.

JAXA’s spacecraft is scheduled to take off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 12:05 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, September 24 (1:05 a.m. September 25 local time), NASA announced in a press release. Coverage of the JAXA spacecraft launch will start at 11:30 a.m. EDT on NASA Live.

The unpiloted H-II Transport Vehicle-8 (HTV-8) was originally scheduled to launch on September 10, however, the cargo ship’s trip was delayed due to a fire at the mobile launch pad exit hole. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries determined the cause for the blaze and after corrective measures were made, it moved the new launch date to tomorrow.

After blasting off from Japan on September 24, the spacecraft is expected to arrive at the orbiting laboratory on Saturday, September 28.

NASA TV coverage of the cargo ship’s capture will start at 5:45 a.m. EDT. During this operation, Expedition 60 flight engineer and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, who will be supported by NASA crewmate Andrew Morgan, will maneuver the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture the 12-ton spacecraft as it comes close to its “parking spot.” Flight engineer and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano will monitor HTV-8 systems during the spacecraft’s approach to the station. Once it docks at the space station, the cargo ship will stay there for a month.

The cargo ship is expected to deliver six new lithium-ion batteries and corresponding adapter plates that will replace old nickel-hydrogen batteries for two power channels on the orbiting laboratory’s far port truss segment. These batteries will be placed through a series of robotics and spacewalks that space station crew members will conduct later this year.

Other experiments going for a ride on the JAXA spacecraft include a small-sized satellite optical communication system (SOLISS), a payload for testing the effects of gravity on powder and granular material (Hourglass), and an upgrade to the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF-L).

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