Japanese Freighter Undocks From Space Station

A Japanese cargo freighter undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, successfully ending its resupply mission, a spokesman for Russian Mission Control said.

Kounotori 3, also known as HTV-3, is the third Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle designed to deliver supplies to the orbital station. It arrived at the ISS on July 27, carrying about four metric tons of supplies and equipment.

"The Japanese space freighter undocked from the orbital station at 07:50 p.m. Moscow time [15:50 GMT]," the official said, adding that it will be deorbited and burn down upon reentering the atmosphere on September 14.

The 16.5-ton spacecraft carries waste material from the ISS, including used experiment equipment and used clothes.

Kounotori 3 was scheduled for detachment on September 6, but the maneuver was postponed due to emergency repairs on the U.S. module of the ISS.

Source: Voice of Russia