Japanese Cargo Ship Departs the ISS
After a six and half week stay at the International Space Station, the Japanese “Kounotori” H-II Transfer Vehicle cargo ship (HTV-6) departed the complex Jan. 27, headed for deorbit where it will burn up during reentry into Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean in early February. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the HTV-6 from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan Dec. 9. It arrived at the station Dec. 13, carrying more than five tons of supplies, experiments and six new lithium-ion batteries and adapter plates to upgrade the station’s power system – which were installed earlier this month over two spacewalks.