5 Mar 2026

At 12 p.m. EST, JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s) HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft was released from the International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm, which earlier detached it from the Earth-facing port of the orbiting laboratory’s Harmony module. At the time of release, the station was flying about 260 miles over the Pacific Ocean. 

The HTV-X1 spacecraft successfully departed the station more than four months after arriving to deliver more than 9,000 pounds of supplies, scientific investigations, commercial products, hardware and other cargo for NASA and its international partners. 

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Japan’s HTV-X1 cargo spacecraft departs the International Space Station after its release from the Canadarm2 robotic arm with Earth in the background.