Article Posted on : - Jan 28, 2011

The H-IIB rocket had launched the Konotori2 cargo spacecraft on Jan 22. A JAXA photo

TOKYO (BNS): Astronauts Friday entered the unmanned Japanese space cargo vehicle Konotori2 from the International Space Station (ISS) following its successful docking a day before, the Japanese space agency JAXA said.

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and other astronauts at the ISS checked the air and condition of the cargo inside as they prepare to unload it into the ISS, the space agency said.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) had launched the cargo vehicle on board its H-IIB rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center on January 22.

The 33 feet-long and 14 feet wide cylinder-shaped spacecraft, carrying 5.3 tons of cargo including food, experiment tools and drinking water, docked with the ISS on Thursday.

After unloading the cargo, Konotori2 will leave carrying waste from the ISS by the end of March and mostly burn up in the atmosphere, according to JAXA.