Suggested Searches

International Space Station

Categories

Japan Spacecraft Departing Station Soon on NASA+

The new HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), carrying about 12,800 pounds of science, supplies, and hardware for the Expedition 73 crew, is pictured in the grip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm. JAXA astronaut and Expedition 73 Flight Engineer Kimiya Yui (not pictured) commanded Canadarm2 to gently reach out and capture HTV-X1 when the spacecraft reached a point about 10 meters away from the International Space Station.
The HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) is pictured in the grip of the Canadarm2 robotic arm after arriving at the International Space Station on Oct. 29, 2025.
NASA

NASA’s live coverage of the departure of JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s) uncrewed HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft from the International Space Station is underway on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel.  

Release from the space station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm is scheduled for 12 p.m. EST. Coverage will conclude after the spacecraft departs the vicinity of the space station. 

Flight controllers on the ground sent commands on Thursday, March 5, for the station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm to detach HTV-X1 from the Harmony module’s Earth-facing port and maneuver the spacecraft into position for release. NASA astronaut Chris Williams will monitor the spacecraft’s systems during its departure. 

The HTV-X1 spacecraft will remain in orbit for more than three months acting as a scientific platform for JAXA’s experiments. Following the command for deorbit, the spacecraft will dispose of several thousand pounds of trash during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere, where it will burn up harmlessly. 

The spacecraft arrived at the station Oct. 29, 2025, after launching Oct. 25 atop an H3 rocket from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center.

Learn more about station activities by following the space station blog, @space_station on X, as well as the ISS Facebook and ISS Instagram accounts.

Get the latest from NASA delivered every week. Subscribe here.