Japan's HTV-9 Cargo Craft Helps Supply the Space Station

Japan's resupply ship, the H-II Transfer Vehicle-9 (HTV-9), is pictured attached to the International Space Station's Harmony module. Stowed inside the Japanese space freighter is the HTV-8 cargo pallet containing old nickel-hydrogen batteries, which were disconnected from the station during a series of spacewalks at the end of 2019 and are due for disposal. Carrying four tons of supplies, water, spare parts, and experiment hardware for the Expedition 63 crew aboard the International Space Station, HTV-9 launched from Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan on Wednesday, May 20, at 1:31 p.m. EDT (2:31 a.m. Thursday, May 21, Japan time). NASA/UPI