Japan has successfully launched its first domestic cargo spaceship to the International Space Station (ISS), national space agency JAXA has reported.

The HTV-1 unmanned cargo spacecraft lifted off on board the country`s new H-2B rocket at 17.01 GMT on Thursday from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan.

The freighter is expected to dock with the ISS on September 17 to deliver about 4.5 metric tons of scientific equipment and food supplies to the orbital station.

The spacecraft is a solar-powered cylinder about 10 meters long and 4.4 meters wide. It can haul up to 6 tons of cargo, but will be loaded with less cargo on its maiden flight.

JAXA and NASA officials earlier said the Japanese freighters "will be vital to support the space station`s six-person crew once NASA`s space shuttle fleet retires in the next year or so."

Russian and European unmanned freighters and the U.S. space shuttles have so far performed the task of bringing vital supplies and equipment to the orbital station.

Unlike the fully-automated cargo ships built by Russia and Europe, which can dock at the station with the use of the Kurs laser-guided docking system, designed and built by Russia`s Energia corporation, the HTV-1 will be pulled to the ISS by a robotic arm operated by the ISS crew.

JAXA said it has spent about $680 million since 1997 to develop the HTV spacecraft.

Japan plans to send a total of six space freighters to the ISS until 2015 - one spacecraft per year.
sections: World News