Japan delays launch of HTV-5 cargo ship to space station due to bad weather

Tokyo: Japan on Friday delayed the launch of a cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station due to unfavourable weather conditions.

It is said that bad weather forecast forced the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to postpone the launch of the H-IIB Launch Vehicle No 5 with the H-II Transfer Vehicle 'KOUNOTORI5' (HTV-5) onboard from the Tanegashima Space Center, which was originally scheduled for August 16, 2015 (Japan Standard Time).

.@JAXA_en has delayed the HTV-5 cargo ship launch due to unfavorable weather. New launch date is Aug. 17 @ 8:35am ET. pic.twitter.com/YlUk40SvL6 — Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) August 14, 2015

The new launch date is now scheduled for August 17 at 8:35am ET.

However, the launch date may be delayed further depending on weather conditions.

Loaded with more than 4.5 tons of supplies, including water, spare parts and experiment hardware for the six-person space station crew, the unpiloted cargo craft, Kounotori, Japanese for "white stork," will blast off for a four-day journey to the station, said NASA.

NASA said it will broadcast the launch of HTV to the ISS live on NASA Television on Monday, 17 August, beginning at 7:45am.