Japan successfully launches spacecraft on resupply mission to International Space Station

Japan’s space agency has successfully launched its new flagship H3 rocket carrying an unmanned cargo spacecraft for its first mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the HTV-X1 spacecraft successfully lifted off atop the No. 7 H3 rocket from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. H3 rocket replaces Japan’s long beloved mainstay H-2A rocket, which made its final flight in June, as a new flagship model designed to be more cost competitive in the global space market.