Japan plans to send rocket to ISS in September

Tokyo: Japan will launch a rocket equipped with an unmanned cargo vessel to the International Space Station (ISS) in September, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said Monday.

The transporter rocket is called the HTV8, or Kounotori8, which means white stork in Japanese.

It will deliver about 5.4 tons of supplies to the space station, including food, water, batteries and tools needed for experiments, the agency said.

The rocket will be launched on Sept. 11 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan's southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima, according to JAXA.

The cylindrical cargo transporter, which is about 10 meters long and 4.4 meters wide in diameter, will also carry an optical communication system which is a useful tool for a Japanese experiment module at the ISS to explore the moon and Mars, the agency said.