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Japan’s new HTV-X cargo spacecraft launches successfully to ISS, marking a major step in space logistics.
On Saturday, October 25, 2025, Japan successfully launched its new HTV-X cargo spaceship on its first trip to the International Space Station (ISS). At 8 p.m. EDT (9 a.m. Japan time on October 26), the uncrewed spacecraft took launched on an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center. On Wednesday, October 29, at approximately 11:50 a.m. EDT, it is expected to arrive at the International Space Station.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries constructed this spacecraft for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The HTV-X is the successor to the earlier H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), known as Kounotori or White Stork. The first HTV fleet made nine successful trips to the space station between 2009 and 2020.
The new HTV-X spacecraft can transport a comparable payload of roughly 6,000 kilograms (13,200 pounds) to low Earth orbit, although being slightly shorter than its predecessor at 8 meters (26.2 feet) in length. It has improved systems that increase its effectiveness and adaptability. According to Mitsubishi, the HTV-X can also serve as a platform for orbit experiments for up to 1.5 years after departing the ISS before reentry.
JAXA has broader plans for the HTV-X beyond Earth orbit. The spacecraft could support future human space missions or even deliver cargo to NASA’s planned Gateway station around the Moon as a part of the Artemis lunar exploration program. With its debut, the HTV-X joins a small group of active ISS cargo vehicles, including Russia’s Progress, and America’s Cygnus and Dragon spacecraft. Like Progress and Cygnus, the HTV-X will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after completing its mission, while SpaceX’s Dragon remains the only reusable cargo craft currently servicing the ISS.
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