The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced that the space supply ship H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-5) successfully arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Sunday,Aug.23, ending its four-day journey to deliver food, supplies and other equipment for the orbital station's laboratory.
The HTV-5 cargo ship, which was dubbed Kounotori (white stork), was launched on Wednesday and reached the ISS earlier this week, where the spacecraft was captured by astronauts using the space station's robotic arm.
"HTV-5 capture was successful!" ISS astronaut Kimiya Yui wrote on his Twitter account to confirm the arrival of the cargo ship. Yui and his NASA counterpart Kjell Lindgren were the ones who piloted the ISS's robotic arm.
"Thank you all for your support and hard work."
Once the HTV-5 cargo ship was secured by the Yui and Lindgren, NASA flight controllers located at the Mission Control Center were tasked with using the space station's robotic arm to dock the spacecraft by remote at an available port.
JAXA's HTV-5 spacecraft carries around 4,309 kilograms (9,500 pounds) of science gear and supplies for the International Space Station's crew.
The cargo ship's haul features a cache of liquor consisting of tequila, whiskey and Midori. These alcoholic beverages are to be used for an experiment regarding the effects of microgravity to their tastes after one to two years of being kept in space. The experiment was launched by the Suntory Global Innovation Center in Tokyo, Japan.
It also carries a collection of 12 mice, which will be used for an experiment regarding how weightlessness affects creatures during long missions in space. The animals are kept in compartments that can alternate between Earth gravity and microgravity as part of the research.
The cargo includes equipment for NASA's ongoing twins study involving identical twins Scott and Mark Kelly. Scott is currently spending a year on board the ISS, while his brother Mark is on Earth as the control subject in the study.
The Scott Kelly is joined by Mikhail Kornienko, a Russian cosmonaut, as part of that extreme-duration flight on the ISS.
ISS scientists will also receive a new CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) in order for them to see dark matter during their research. The CALET will also allow the researchers to study cosmic rays from the ISS, away from the atmosphere's distorting effect.
