Japan's HTV-X1 Cargo Spacecraft Rocket Liftoff | International Space Station

Japan's HTV-X1 Cargo Spacecraft Rocket Liftoff | International Space Station

Liftoff of Japan's HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft on H3-24L rocket

Liftoff of Japan's HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft on H3-24L rocket

Launch of Japan's HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft on H3-24L rocket

Transport of the HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft (in its protective fairing) to the H3-24L rocket

Final checks of HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft

Loading final cargo for the International Space Station into HTV-X1

JAXA control center team at Tanegashima Space Center

HTV-X1 ISS Mission emblem

🚀 The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched its HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft on a H3-24L rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at Tanegashima Space Center in southeastern Japan on Sunday, October 26, 2025. This was Japan's first cargo shipment to the ISS in five years.

The H3-24L expendable rocket was developed by JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) as a successor to the H-IIA and H-IIB rockets.

The HTV-X1, also built by MHI for JAXA, is an uncrewed, expendable spacecraft designed to resupply the ISS, while serving as a platform for technical demonstrations. Japan developed the HTV-X spacecraft as a replacement for the earlier HTV (Kounotori) cargo ship that launched atop the now-retired H-IIB.

The H3 is a medium-lift launch vehicle. Its first stage utilizes two or three LE-9 engines and uses 222 tons of liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX), otherwise known as hydrolox. The second stage uses one LE-5B-3 engine and is powered by 23 tons of hydrolox.

There is the additional capability of strap-on solid rocket boosters (SRBs); the H3 rocket can have two or four SRB-3s.

Unlike its predecessor that required eighty hours for cargo loading, the HTV-X1 reduces the process to just 24 hours, helping to improve mission efficiency.

With a launch mass of 16,000 kg, the HTV-X1 can carry up to 5,820 kg of supplies and experiments using International Standard Payload Racks to increase capacity. The spacecraft has two solar panel arrays generating 1 kW of power—five times the 200 W capacity of the original HTV.

Onboard power supplies and refrigeration units allow the delivery of fresh food to Expedition 73 and future ISS crews. The HTV-X1 maneuvers using its reaction control system (RCS) thrusters.

JAXA astronaut Kimiya Yui, a crew member of Expedition 73, will dock the HTV-X1 to the ISS’s Harmony module using the Canadarm2, a robotic arm developed by the Canadian Space Agency. Yui previously berthed an HTV spacecraft during Expedition 44 in 2015. Once attached, the HTV-X1 is expected to remain at the ISS for six months. After departing, it has the capability for extended missions, enabling additional scientific and technical experiments.

Follow Expedition 73:
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 73 Crew

Station Commander: Sergey Ryzhikov (Roscosmos)

JAXA Flight Engineer (Japan): Kimiya Yui

Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Alexey Zubritskiy, Oleg Platonov

NASA Flight Engineers: Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Credit:  Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Text Credit: Eleanor Day
Release Date: Oct. 26, 2025

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