Japan successfully launches H3 rocket carrying next-generation cargo craft to ISS
Tokyo: The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has successfully launched its H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, on Sunday. The mission transported the newly developed unmanned cargo spacecraft, HTV-X1, on its first trip to deliver supplies to the International Space Station and is expected to arrive at the ISS in a few days.
According to an Associated Press report, the spacecraft was placed in its assigned orbit after 14 minutes of its launch and the HTV-X1 was later separated as planned. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, who is currently aboard the International Space Station, will use a robotic arm to grasp the spacecraft early Thursday.
The HTV-X1 is the successor to JAXA's previous unmanned supply vehicle, Kounotori, the H-II Transfer Vehicle. It completed nine successful missions between 2009 and 2020. This new vehicle can carry a larger payload and still generating electricity during transit. It will also allow it to transport temperature-sensitive laboratory materials.
It is designed to remain docked at the ISS for up to six months. The HTV-X1 will deliver cargo, collect waste, and later conduct independent orbital missions for an additional three months after departing the station.
Iwao Igarashi who heads the Space Business Department at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries—which co-developed and operates the H3 with JAXA—said that the successful launch demonstrated Japan’s reliability and precision in space missions. He further added that Mitsubishi plans to expand its launch operations to meet growing global demand, as reported by Associated Press.
The H3 replaces Japan’s long-serving H-2A rocket, which completed its final flight in June. The latest launch was the seventh overall and the sixth consecutive success since a failed debut in 2023, when the rocket was destroyed mid-flight after a malfunction.
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Veteran Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai passes away at 94
New Delhi (PTI): Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Mohsina Kidwai passed away on Wednesday, her family said. She was 94.
Kidwai passed away at Noida's Metro Hospital early in the morning. She was suffering from age-related ailments, her son-in-law Razi Ur Rehman Kidwai said.
She will be cremated at the graveyard in Nizamuddin around 5 pm, he said.
Kidwai is a former Union minister who held important portfolios in the Rajiv Gandhi government. She has been a member of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha at various points in time.
Kidwai has also served as a member of the Congress Working Committee and the party's Central Election Committee in the past.
