Japan Launches New H3 Rocket Carrying HTV-X1 Cargo Spacecraft to ISS

On 26 October, Japan’s space agency JAXA successfully launched its new H3 rocket carrying the unmanned HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft on its first mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS).

Key Points:

• Launch Site:
  The spacecraft lifted off atop the No. 7 H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Center, southern Japan.
• Next-Generation Freighter:
  The HTV-X succeeds the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), also known as Kounotori (“stork” in Japanese), which completed nine missions to the ISS between 2009 and 2020.
• Improved Capabilities:
  • Larger payload capacity than its predecessor.
  • Can supply power during flight, enabling transport of temperature-sensitive materials like biological cells and lab samples.
  • Designed to remain docked with the ISS for up to six months to deliver supplies and retrieve waste.
  • After detaching, it will perform three months of independent orbital missions for technical experiments.
• H3 Rocket’s Significance:
  The H3 replaces Japan’s H-2A rocket, which made its final flight in June 2025, as the new flagship launch vehicle designed to be more cost-competitive in the global space market.

Source: TH