TOKYO– The Japanese space agency on Sunday successfully launched its new flagship H3 rocket carrying an unmanned cargo spacecraft for its first mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the HTV-X1 spacecraft successfully lifted off on the No. 7 H3 rocket from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan.

The spacecraft was separated and placed into a planned orbit, JAXA said. If all goes well, it is expected to arrive at the ISS in a few days to deliver supplies. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, currently on the ISS, will arrive at the ship with a robotic arm in the early hours of Thursday.

The HTV-X is the successor to JAXA’s unmanned H-II transfer vehicle known as Kounotori, or stork in Japanese, which flew nine missions to the ISS between 2009 and 2020.

The new freighter can carry a larger payload and supply power during flight, enabling the transport of cells and other laboratory samples that require low-temperature storage.

HTV-X is designed to be attached to the ISS for up to six months to deliver supplies and recover debris from the ISS, then perform technical missions while performing an orbital flight after leaving the station, this time for three months.

The H3 rocket replaces Japan’s beloved H-2A rocket, which made its final flight in June, as a new flagship model designed to be more cost-competitive in the global space market.

Japan views a stable and commercially competitive space transportation capability as key to its space program and national security.

The H3 has so far made six consecutive successful flights after a failed debut attempt in 2023, when the rocket had to be destroyed with its payload.