Japan all set to launch its fifth cargo flight to Space Station

Japan will deliver nearly five tonnes of supplies, including equipment needed for experiments to the International Space Station (ISS), using its heavy lift H-II transport vehicle, its fifth mission to the ISS so far.

US space agency NASA said it will broadcast the launch of a Japanese cargo spacecraft to the ISS live on NASA Television on Sunday, 16 August, followed by live coverage of its arrival at the orbiting laboratory on Thursday, 20 August.

Japan's H-II transfer vehicle (HTV) will blast off on Sunday, 16 August 2015 to deliver nearly five tonnes of experiment equipment and supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), a NASA release said.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will launch its H-II transport vehicle (HTV)-5 at 8:58 am EDT (9:58 p.m. local time in Japan) from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. NASA said it will start TV coverage of the launch at 8:15 am.

Loaded with more than 4.5 tonnes of supplies, including water, spare parts and experiment hardware for the six-person space station crew, the unpiloted cargo craft, named Kounotori, Japanese for ''white stork,'' will blast off for a four-day journey to the station.

On 20 August, the HTV-5 will approach the station from below and slowly inch its way toward the orbital complex. Expedition 44 flight engineers Kimiya Yui of JAXA and Kjell Lindgren of NASA will operate the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to reach out and grapple the 12-tonne spacecraft and install it on the Earth-facing side of the Harmony module, where it will spend five weeks.

Flight engineer Scott Kelly of NASA will monitor HTV-5 systems during the rendezvous and grapple.

NASA TV coverage of the rendezvous and grapple of the HTV-5 on 20 August will begin at 5:30 a.m. Capture is scheduled for approximately 7:10 a.m. Coverage of the final installation of the cargo craft to Harmony will resume at 9:30 am, NASA said in a release.