[SatNews] A Japanese rocket successfully delivered an unmanned cargo transporter into orbit last Saturday, according to JAXA, Japan's space agency.

The H-IIB rocket took off from the Tanegashima space centre in southern Japan on schedule at 2:37 pm (0537 GMT). Approximately 15 minutes later, the cargo unit was placed into its planned orbit. The "Kounotori (stork) 2" space vehicle is carrying five tons of supplies, including food, water and experimental tools for astronauts and is scheduled to reach the International Space Station on Thursday, ahead of the final launch of the space shuttle Discovery on February 24. This was Japan's second cargo transfer mission to the ISS, where Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa is scheduled to stay for six months starting in late May.