Tokyo - Japan's first unmanned cargo spacecraft docked Friday to the International Space Station to deliver 4.5 tons of goods to its crew. The H-II Transfer Vehicle manoeuvred within 10 metres of the station before astronauts on board used the station's robotic arm to reel the H-II the rest of the way in, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said.
The ship was locked to the station and its hatch opened before astronauts begin unloading its cargo of frozen foods, clothing, shampoo and equipment for the Japanese-built Kibo laboratory on the station.
The craft, built for one-time use, lifted off September 11 from the Tanegashima space centre in the southern province of Kagoshima. Most of H-II is to burn up on its return as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere.
Its first flight was a test run as countries involved in the outfitting and manning of the space station build replacements for the US space shuttles, which are to be mothballed in 2010 after 29 years of flights, which have delivered the space station's components and construction crews.
Japan plans to launch similar cargo craft every year until 2015.
