The Tanegashima Space Center launch campaign for the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle “KOUNOTORI2” (HTV2) is underway for a Thursday, January 20, 2011 launch from the beautiful spaceport. The unmanned cargo spacecraft which will be used to carry up to 6,000 kg of a mixture of pressurized and unpressurized cargo to the space station.
The Japanese ISS resupply mission will kick-off a flurry of spacecraft being launched to the space station. The KOUNOTORI2 will be followed a few days later this month by a Russian Progress M-09M/Soyuz U carrying more cargo and logistics to the orbiting station. About two weeks after the Russian re-supply, the European ATV will dock with more space station supplies in February.
If all goes well at the Kennedy Space Center, the Space Shuttle Discovery will dock with the space station in late February -- leaving the space station with visits from four spacecraft operated by Japanese, Russians, Europeans and Americans in less than two months.
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