An unmanned Japanese cargo spaceship has safely arrived at the International Space Station, delivering tons of supplies for the station and its crew members.
The robotic cargo ship Kounotori 2 rendezvoused with the station Thursday, coming within 33 feet and allowing astronauts inside the station to capture it with a robotic arm, SPACE.com reported.
The successful capture of Kounotori 2, also known as HTV-2, was confirmed at 6:41 a.m. EST.
"We have HTV-2 in our grasp," NASA astronaut Cady Coleman said.
Kounotori, "white stork" in Japanese, is the second spacecraft built by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency.
The robot cargo craft, about 33 feet long and 14 feet wide, launched Jan. 22 packed with 5.3 tons of supplies for the orbiting laboratory including fresh food, water and science experiments.
The cargo vessel will remain attached to the station for about 40 days, during which time it will serve as a trash receptacle until it is detached at the end of March and allowed to burn up as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere, officials said.
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